



Washington, D. o. 



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FL O K I D A 



TOURISTS, LNVALLDS, AID SETTLERS: 



CONTAINING 



PRACTICAL INFORMATION 



KEGAEDEN'G 



CLDTATE, SOIL, AND PRODrCTIOXS ; CITIES, TOWNS, AND PEOPLE; 
THE CULTURE OF THE ORANGE AND OTHER TROPICAL FRUITS ; 
FARMING AND GARDENING ; SCENERY AND RESORTS ; 
SPORT; ROUTES OF TRAVEL, ETC., ETC. • 






GEORGE ]V»BaSlBOUR. 



I ^ 



WIT If 31 A F ^iV^5 Ij::T^USTJiATJONS. 




D. APPLETOF miJ) COMPANY, 

1, 3, and|5 BCHi) STEEET. 



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/ 



o 

♦v^OPTKIGHT BY 

D|APPEETON AND COMPANY, 

/^ 1881. 



.% 



PREFACE. 



The writer of the following pages first saw Florida 
in the month of January, 1880, when he accompanied 
General Grant on his tonr through the State, as corre- 
spondent of the " Chicago Times." He had previ- 
ously either traveled or resided in nearly every other 
portion of the country, East, West, and South ; but his 
first impressions of the " Land of Flowers " were so 
favorable that, his special service as correspondent being 
over, he returned thither with the idea of making for 
himself a permanent home which should put an end to 
his wanderings. Since then he has enjoyed an extended 
experience in the State, engaged in a vocation requir- 
ing visits to all the more prominent places, and traveled 
over its immense territory under circumstances the most 
favorable for learning its real resources and observing 
the great variety of its productions. 

Almost from the beginning, the importance of writ- 
ing a book embodying the results of his observation 
and experience was urged upon him by the friends 



4 PREFACE. 

whom he made in the course of his travels ; and his pe- 
rusal of the multifarious inquiries addressed to the State 
Bureau of Immigration, at Jacksonville, convinced him 
that there is a real demand for an adequate and trust- 
worthy descriptive work on Florida. With the excep- 
tion of a fpw brief pamphlets, written for the most 
]3art in the interest of some land scheme or other spec- 
ulative enterprise, there appears to be really no publi- 
cation (except the Bureau of Immigration pamphlet) 
which answers practical questions in a practical man- 
ner; and even those books designed for transient vis- 
itors have been rendered wofully inadequate and anti- 
quated by the progress that has been achieved during 
the past few years. 

The present volume is the result of personal obser- 
vation and study; and is written with a sincere desire 
to do justice to all parts of the State, and to describe 
accurately and with precision its real resources and ad- 
vantages. It is written for Florida entire, and not in 
the interest of any corporation, speculative scheme, or 
special locality. Having no land to sell, and no personal 
interest of any kind to further, the author has found 
little difficulty in following Othello's injunction, " naught 
to extenuate, nor set down aught in malice." 

Where so many have aided him with information 
and suggestions, the author feels that it is almost in- 
vidious to name only a few ; yet he can not forbear thus 
explicitly acknowledging his obligations to the Hon. 



• PREFACE. 5 

Setli Frencli, late Commissioner of the Bureau of Im- 
migration ; to Captain Samuel Fairbanks, Assistant Com- 
missioner; and to Mr. William Bloxliam, the present 
Governor of the State. Last, but not least, he would 
offer his acknowledgments to Mr. C. H. Jones, of E^ew 
York City, who rendered him invaluable aid in the ar- 
rangement and revision of his w^ork. 

G. M. B. 

Septemter, 1881. 



TESTIMONIAL. 



It is Tcnown to the undersigned that the author, Mr. 
George M: Barhour, has traveled over almost the luhole 
of Florida, under circumstances peculiarly advantageous 
for enaUing him to acquaint himself ivith the varied 
resources of the State, and luith the attractions which it 
offers to the three classes to whom his worh is addressed 
— Tourists, Invalids, and Settlers. Our hnoiuledge of 
his ahilities as a ivriter on Florida subjects, and of the 
opportu7iities he has enjoyed in prejparing his hooh, are 
such that toe can commend it as at once trustworthy and 
comprehensive — greatly superior in these respects to 
anything hitherto published descriptive of the entire 
State and its soil and productions. 

W. D. BL0XHA3I, 

Governor of Florida. 

George F. Drew, 

Ex- Governor of Florida. 

Seth French, 

Ex- Commissioner of Immigration. 

Saiiuel Fairbanks, 

Assistant Commissioner of Immi- 
gration. 



COE'TEIfTS. 



CHAP. PAGE 

I. — Questions and Answers 11 

II. — Natural Divisions of Florida . . . . 17 
HI. — A Trip through the State with Commissioner 

French .30 

ly. — A Trip through North Florida with Captain 

Fairbanks . . . . . . . . 67 

Y. — Jacksonville, Fernandina, and St. Augustine . 92 

YI.— The St. John's Eiver 107 

YII. — The Ocklawaha Eiver, Silver Springs, and Ocala 125 
YIII. — The Indian Eiver Eegion and the Inland Lakes 136 
IX. — The Gulf Coast and Key West .... 145 
X. — The Sanford Grant and Orange County . . 155 
Xr. — Eandom Sketches.— An Ocean Yoyage in Winter ; 
the Atlantic Coast of Florida ; the South- 
west Coast 173 

XII. — Climate and Health. — Suggestions for Invalids 184 
XIII. — Eeteospective. — An Historical Sketch . . . 209 
XI Y. — Florida Folks and Families .... 225 

XY. — Orange-Culture 239 

XVI. — Other Tropical and Semi-tropical Fruits . 252 



8 CONTENTS. 

CHAP. PAGE 

XVII. — Field and Faem Peoducts. — Yegetable-Gaeden- 

iNG 264 

XVIII.— Live-Stock . .278 

XIX.— FuE, Fin, and Feather . . ' . . . . 285 

XX. — Insects and Keptiles . . . . . .290 

XXI. — Oppoetunities poe Laboe and Capital . . . 294 

XXII. — A WoED OF Feiendly Advice to New-comees , 298 

XXIII. — Kotites to and theough Floeida .... 303 



LIST OF ILLUSTEATIOlsrS. 



PAGE 

A Florida Orange-Grove . . . . Frontispiece. 

LigMliouse on Florida Keys . . . . .18 

Hammocks . . . . . . • .19 

The Banana . . . . . . .43 

A Typical Country Hotel in Florida — " Ocklawaha House," Pendryville 46 

A Pair of "Crackers" . . . . . . .55 

View on the Escambia Kiver, near Pensacola ... 'TO 

Street-Scene in Pensacola . . . . . .72 

View of Bay from Shot Park, Navy- Yard . . . . 'ZS 

Specimens of Pensacola Fish . . . . . . 75 

Kuins of Fort McRae, with Fort Pickens in the Distance . . 76 

Fort Barrancas . . . . . . . .77 

Street-Scene in Jacksonville . . . . . 93 

A Cluster of Palmettoes . . . . . .97 

Street in St. Augustine . . . . . .100 

St. Augustine Cathedral . . . . . .102 

The Convent-Gate . . . . . . . 103 

Entrance to Fort Marion . . . . . .105 

Mouth of the St. John's ...... 109 

Mrs. Stowe's Residence . . , . . . .112 

Entrance to Hart's Orange-Grove . . . . .114 

Forest on the Ocklawaha . , « . .126 



10 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 



A Kiver Post-Office . . . . . .128 

The Lookout . . . , „ , ^ j29 

Silver Spring , . . . . .132 

A Sudden Turn . . . . . . . 133 

Looking across Indian Eivcr ..... 13Y 

The Cabbagc-Pahn . . , . . , .151 

Key West ' . 153 

A Country Cart ....... 2*^8 

Out for a Drive . . . . *. . , 236 

Orange-Trees •-...... 240 

The Fig 255 

A Pineapple Plant . . . . . , .256 

The Date-Pahn ....... 258 

Sugar-Mill . . . . ' . . . ,266 

A Cypress-Shingle Yard . . . ... .273 

Florida Pine-Barrens ....... 280 

A Hunter s Camp . . . / . , , 288 



o i. ^ j.:^Ldoy ine Diest ; and to the 
^uuces nearly everything, with less expen- 




j^:> .■d./..^,,|.A-^,.>i.-.jt 



?'<o^^ LIBBARY 






FLORIDA 



CHAPTER 1. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 

Florida ! What kind of a place is it ? How does it 
look? What does it produce? What are the conditions 
of success there? How do the people live? How do they 
like it ? These are a few of the multitude of questions 
that are eagerly showered upon a resident of this sunny, 
genial clime, when visiting the less favored regions of our 
country. 

Those who ask them commonly suppose that they can 
be answered as compendiously and precisely as the some- 
what similar questions in a geographical text-book ; but, 
unfortunately, this is not possible, and the numerous pages 
comprising the present volume are none too many to an- 
swer them in full. In fact, it is for the sole purpose of 
answering these and similar inquiries that I have written 
the following book ; and I trust that, when he has finished 
it, the reader will acquit me of having made any larger 
demands upon his attention than was necessary to the 
accomplishment of this object. I might say, indeed, in 
response to the first question, that it is a delightful place ; 
to the second, that it looks like a region perpetually 
breathed upon by airs from Araby the blest ; and to the 
other, that it produces nearly everything, with less expen- 



12 ■ FLORIDA. 

diture of labor than is the case in any other portion of the 
wide domain included within the United States. There 
are few, however, who will be satisfied any longer with 
such " glittering generalities " — a surfeit of them having 
already been dealt out by previous writers on the subject ; 
and my own aim has been to give as clearly and specifi- 
cally as I can such information as may prove helpful to the 
three classes of readers to whom the book is addressed : 
the tourist who comes for amusement, sight-seeing, or 
sport ; the invalid who comes in search of that more ge- 
nial climate which shall prolong his days in the land ; and, 
even more especially, the settler whose aim is to make him- 
self a home under pleasanter and more promising condi- 
tions than those which he encounters on the stern soil or 
amid the harsh blasts of the northern sections of our coun- 
try. 

Florida has a history (as will be told in the chapter on 
that subject) that extends back to 1512, covering a period 
of nearly four hundred years ; yet in spite of this, and in 
spite, too, of its unequaled natural advantages, it has a 
smaller population, in proportion to its great size, than any 
other State in the Union, except, jDerhaps, Nevada and 
Colorado. A constantly rising tide of immigration is now 
flowing in, and there has been a surprising increase in the 
number of inhabitants during the past ten years; but some 
of the very choicest localities in the State are still in a 
state of nature, and there is room and verge enough for an 
additional million of busy and prosj^erous workers. For 
Florida is a very large State — one of the largest in the 
Union — with an area of nearly sixty thousand square miles; 
and, in proportion to its size, it has as large an acreage of 
productive soil as any other, except the prairie States of 
the West. Many portions, no doubt, are ill adapted for 
what are commonly regarded as the great staples of the 
country ; but in the range and variety of its productions it 



QUESTION'S AND ANSWERS. IS 

is hardly equaled, and is certainly not surpassed, by any 
other section of equal area. 

This fact in regard to Florida is usually overlooked 
by those who derive their ideas from the hasty conclusions 
of transient winter visitors. Each so-called " season " wit- 
nesses an influx of thousands of these visitors, in search of 
health or " on pleasure bent," usually wealthy, and equipped 
with more prejudices than their well-filled traveling-bags 
would contain. Their chief desire is to find an elegant 
hotel, having '' all modern conveniences " ; and, once estab- 
lished there, to secure some cozy nook on a broad veran- 
da, where they may watch the fruits and flowers growing 
in the open air, breathe the soft, balmy air, and lazily en- 
joy all the luxury and delights of June in January. For 
recreation, they ride to the nearest orange-groves, or in- 
dulge in a moonlight sail, or, if a little more adventurous 
and "masculine," take a few quiet fishing-trips, or hunt 
quail and duck. Once, at least, during their stay, they 
make the " grand tour " by the regulation route — up the 
St. John's to Palatka, Enterprise, and Sanford, up the 
darkly-mysterious Ocklawaha (very few, on this excursion, 
even leaving the boat), then down the river again and over 
to St. Augustine, where the longest stay is apt to be made, 
as its many points of interest and its animated social life 
render St. Augustine peculiarly attractive to the average 
pleasure-seeker. This, in the great majority of instances, 
is the full extent of their study and observation of the char- 
acteristics and resources of Florida ; and, such being the 
case, it can hardly be regarded as surprising that they should 
represent it as a pleasant enough place of resort in Avinter 
for invalids, but a hot, unwholesome region in summer, 
poor in soil, arid of aspect, the haunt of alligators, reptiles, 
and insects, with nothing especially good in it but oranges. 

It need hardly be pointed out, however, that the true 
capabilities of a great State can not be dealt with ade- 



14: FLORIDA. 

quately in this summary fashion ; and, as a matter of fact, 
Florida has a soil in which can be grown every variety of 
fruit, flower, garden-vegetable, field-crop, or forest prod- 
uct, that grows in any temperate or semi-tropical region 
of the world. Every one has heard of its fabulous yield 
of oranges, lemons, and the like ; and the stories told on 
this head are not always exaggerated. I have seen groves 
of orange-trees which produced from two hundred to four 
thousand dollars to the acre, and know of an acre of pine- 
apples that, within two years after, the trees were cleared 
from its surface, yielded the owners (two bright young 
IS'ew York lads, by-the-way) eighteen hundred dollars. 
But these, and such as these, by no means exhaust the 
list of valuable products which Florida yields to the cul- 
tivator. I have seen fields of wheat ripening in January 
that produced twenty-eight bushels to the acre ; corn that 
produced in the same month seventy bushels to the acre ; 
sugar-cane that yielded one hundred and sixty dollars 
net profit to the acre ; common Irish potatoes producing 
two hundred bushels to the acre ; fields of rice that paid 
a net profit of two hundred dollars an acre ; and cassava 
that netted a hundred and fifty dollars per acre. "Water- 
melons and garden-vegetables grow rapidly, attain great 
size, are of excellent quality, and, where convenient to city 
markets, or to lines of transportation, pay the producer 
from one hundred to one thousand dollars per acre. Of 
garden-vegetables three and even four crops are some- 
times taken from the same tract within twelve . months ; 
and of the entire list of strange or familiar farm and 
garden products, fruits, and flowers, you may, in a trip 
through the State, find each and every one growing in 
abundance. The largest peach-tree, undoubtedly, in Amer- 
ica, is near Orange City, in Yolusia County, with a spread 
of branches over seventy feet in diameter ! 

Nor is this all. I have seen bean-vines in their third 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 15 

year bearing as vigorously as when first planted ; pears 
growing on vines ; peas growing on trees ; and plants 
growing on nothing at all — the latter being the common 
air-plants. Of live-stock, I have seen as large, fine, fat 
swine, and as neat cattle and sheep, as in Vermont, New 
York, or Illinois ; and they can be raised and kept in 
good condition at so small a cost that comparison with 
Northern-raised stock is absurd. 

The climate of Florida in the winter months is simply 
delightful, and the summers are about as endurable as in 
most other portions of the United States. The summer 
of 1880 was said by all to be the hottest for many years, 
and the winter of 1880-'81 to be the coldest ; yet I can 
affirm from the; sure basis of personal experience that they 
were both healthy and agreeable, even to a new-comer. 
It seems absolutely impossible that any human being, or 
any living creature able to move about, should really suffer 
from either cold or heat, or from hunger, in Florida. It 
is asserted (and meets with no dispute) that no case of 
starvation, of freezing, of sunstroke, or of hydrophobia, 
was ever known in the State ; and local epidemics have 
never been heard of. 

Consider the terribly cold weather of the long, dreary 
winter season throughout the North ; the suffering it 
causes ; the many deaths among the poor, perishing for 
want of a little friendly warmth. Consider also the cases 
of sunstroke, the suffering and deaths caused directly or 
indirectly by the heat, in those same regions during the 
summer ; and the still more sorrowful cases of actual star- 
vation for lack of the plainest food in many of the large 
cities. Then contemplate the advantages of this favored 
clime, where food — even such articles as are regarded as 
luxuries in other localities — may be had in abundance, 
for very little cost or labor, and where a genial tempera- 
ture prevails at all seasons ! 



16 FLORIDA. 

But there is one thing to be remembered in connec- 
tion with all this — and it is forgotten oftener than would 
be supposed : even Florida is not the garden of Eden, and 
a man can not live even here like the lilies of the field, 
"which toil not, neither do they si^in.'' Florida soil and 
climate can and will do a great deal ; but living without 
labor is not possible, and here as elsewhere the great law 
prevails, that in the sweat of his brow shall man eat his 
bread. The true advantage which Florida offers is, that 
by little labor can much comfort be enjoyed, and the bet- 
ter directed the labor the greater the comfort. To those 
who have but little capital (or none), and who are anx- 
iously seeking for a home with all the comforts of life, I 
believe that this State offers the best chances of any in 
our country. 

Finally, as a compendious answer to the many inqui- 
ries upon the subject that have come to my knowledge, 
I would say that a settler in Florida — whether he comes 
as a capitalist, as a farmer, or as a laborer — can live with 
more ease and personal comfort, can live more cheaply, 
can enjoy more genuine luxuries, can obtain a greater in- 
come from a. smaller investment and by less labor, and can 
sooner secure a competency, than in any other accessible 
portion of North America. 



CHAPTER 11. 

NATURAL DIVISIONS OF FLORIDA. 

As I have already remarked, Florida is a very large 
State, containing nearly sixty thousand square miles (59,- 
268). From north to south it stretches 450 miles — from a 
temperate to a tropical clime. Washed along its entire 
eastern border by the equable waters of the Gulf Stream, 
which always pours its pure salt breezes over the peninsula, 
and by the tropically warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico 
on much of its western boundary, it possesses a variety of 
climate, soil, and products, such as can be found nowhere 
else save in Italy, which enjoys a similarity of geographi- 
cal conditions. 

Though its extreme length from the Perdido River to 
Cape Sable is about 700 miles, its average breadth is less 
than 90 miles, and in shape it is a long and narrow penin- 
sula, extending southward into the Atlantic and pointing 
toward Cuba, Havana being only 110 miles from Key 
West. On the southeast it is separated from the Bahamas 
by the Straits of Florida. The peninsula proper termi- 
nates on the south in Cape Sable ; but a remarkable chain 
of rocky islets, known as the Florida Keys, begins at Cape 
Florida on the eastern shore, extends southwestward nearly 
200 miles, and ends in the cluster of sand-heaped rocks 
called the Tortugas, from the great number of turtles for- 
merly frequenting them. South of the bank on which the 
Keys rise, and separated fi:om them by a navigable channel, 
is the narrow and dangerous coral ridge known as the Flor- 



18 FLORIDA. 



ida Reef. The entire State is comprised between latitude 
24° 30' and 31° north, and longitude 80° and 87° 45' west. 




LiGiiiiioLSE ON Florida KE\b. 



In the aggregate Florida possesses a coast-line of more 
than 1,150 miles, but on this long stretch of seaboard there 
are only a few good harbors. The principal on the Atlan- 
tic coast are St. Augustine, Fernandina, Port Orange, and 
Jacksonville (on the St. John's River) ; those on the Gulf 
coast are Pensacola, Appalachicola, St. Mark's, Cedar Keys, 



liATURAL DIVISIONS. 



19 



Tampa, Charlotte Harbor, and Key West. The latter is 
one of the most important naval stations of the republic, 
owing to its commanding situation at the entrance of the 
most frequented passage into the Gulf of Mexico. The 
chief rivers are the St. John's, which furnishes nearly 1,000 
miles of water navigation ; the Indian River, a long, nar- 
row lagoon on the eastern coast ; the Ocklawaha, the Appa- 




lachicola, the Ocklockonnee, the Perdido, the Suwanee, 
and the St. Mary's. The Withlacoochee, which discharges 



20 FLORIDA. 

its waters into tlie Gulf, is an important stream, as are also 
Peace Creek, which falls into Charlotte Harbor, and the 
Caloosahatchie, which empties into the Gulf still farther 
south. Kissimraee River, connecting several of the smaller 
lakes with Lake Okechobee, is also a navigable stream. 

The surface of the State is generally level, the greatest 
elevation being but little more than 500 feet above the sea, 
and this being attained in only a few places. The lands 
are classified as high-hammock, low-hammock, savanna, 
swamp, and pine. The hammocks vary from a few acres 
to thousands of acres in extent, and are found in all parts 
of the peninsula. They are usually covered with a dense 
growth of red, live, and water oak, magnolia, gum, hick- 
ory, and dogwood ; and when cleared they afford a soil of 
almost inexhaustible fertility. The savannas are rich allu- 
vial tracts on the margins of streams, or lying in detached 
areas, yielding largely, but requiring ditching and diking 
in ordinary seasons. Except in the hammocks, the soil is 
generally sandy and apt to be poor. Numerous lakes dot 
the surface of the interior, the largest being Lake Oke- 
chobee, which is said to cover an area of more than 650 
square miles. Perhaps the most remarkable geographical 
feature of the State is the immense tract of marsh or lake 
filled with islands, in the southern part of the peninsula, 
called the Everglades (by the Indians " grass-water "). It 
is about 60 miles long by 60 broad, covering most of the 
territory south of Lake Okechobee, and is impassable dur- 
ing the rainy reason, from July to October. The islands 
with which its surface is studded vary from one fourth 
of an acre to hundreds of acres in extent, and are usually 
entangled in dense thickets of shrubbery or vines. The 
water of the lake is from one to six feet deep, and the bot- 
tom is covered with a growth of rank grass which, rising 
above the surface, gives it the deceptive appearance of a 
boundless prairie. Another noteworthy feature of Florida 



NATURAL DIVISIONS. 21 

are the subterranean streams which undermine the rotten- 
limestone formation, creating numerous cavities in the 
ground that are locally known as " sinks." These are in- 
verted conical hollows, or tunnels, varying in extent from a 
few yards to several acres, at the bottom of which running 
water often appears. 

The foregoing is a rapid summary of the geographical 
or cyclopedic descriptions that are usually given of Flor- 
ida, and it is as accurate, perhaps, as such sweeping gen- 
eralizations can be expected to be ; yet when taken too lit- 
erally these descriptions are not only inadequate, but mis- 
leading. For the truth is, that there are three kinds of 
Florida — three Floridas, so to speak — each distinct in soil, 
climate, and productions ; and it is because of this that the 
people of other sections, as they read about the State in 
short newspaper sketches, or in pamphlets published in the 
interests of some special locality, are apt to draw erroneous 
inferences. For instance, the winter of 1880-'81 was ex- 
ceptionally severe everywhere, making itself felt even in 
Florida ; and the Northern and foreign reader, learning 
that fruits were destroyed, garden-crops hopelessly ruined, 
oranges frozen on the trees by thousands, in fact that cold 
and frost played havoc in Florida as well as elsewhere, 
doubtless came to the conclusion that it was not much of a 
tropical State after all. Well, these things happened, just 
as reported. The frost came, and immense damage was 
done, and much loss inflicted. Yet the fact is that the sec- 
tion thus visited included but a small portion of the State 
— only the northern and a portion of middle Florida. A 
large portion of the State was not — and never is — visited 
by frosts that kill. So that, while the reports were true, 
they were not the whole truth, and there were many dis- 
tricts to which they did not apply at all. 

The three natural divisions under which Florida must 
be described, if it is to be described accurately, may be 



22 FLORIDA. 

classified as the Northern or Temperate, the Semi-tropical, 
and the Tropical. 

Northern Florida, especially the western section of it, 
in soil, productions, and general appearance, closely resem- 
bles regions much farther north. It is a land of live-stock, 
of corn, wheat, cotton, cane, jute, rice, ramie, potatoes, ap- 
ples, grapes, peaches, figs, in fact all the products of fields, 
forests, and gardens of a northern clime, with a few of the 
hardier of southern products. The tropical banana, pine- 
apple, etc., do not grow there, nor the orange or lemon, as 
a crop for profit. Its soil is excellent ; its surface is rolling 
and hilly, with grand forests, rocks, springs, and streams ; 
and the roads are firm and good. It is not tropical, but is 
very picturesque and home-like, and, to the Northern visit- 
or, is the most agreeable portion of the State. Better live- 
stock, or crops, can not be produced in the world, in great- 
er abundance, or with less expense and labor, than grow 
here ; but they are not tropical crops. Such is Northern 
Florida, where frosts and " cold snaps " are not only possi- 
ble, but frequently occur. 

Middle Florida is that j)ortion of the State lying be- 
tween the twenty-eighth and thirtieth parallels, and may 
be termed Semi-tropical Florida. It is the region where 
many of the products of both the temperate and the tropi- 
cal climes may be found growing side by side ; where the 
orange, lemon, fig, guava, citron, grape, and all garden- 
vegetables, may be found growing, for profit, in the open 
air, all the year round. It is where cotton, cane, rice, and 
all field-crops pay best, and where wheat, corn, and live- 
stock are noticeably less productive than a little farther 
north. The soil here is mostly of a sandy character, and 
begins to have the characteristic appearance of a tropical 
soil ; while the surface is generally flat and uninteresting, 
with occasional slightly rolling tracts. There are but few 
streams or lakes, except in the central portion — ^known to 



STATURAL DIVISIONS. 23 

tlie residents as tlie Orange Lake region — where there are 
several quite large-sized lakes, which are of very attractive 
appearance. 

Large orange-groves are found growing in all parts of 
this region, and thousands of trees are being set out 
yearly. Hundreds of the settlers there — especially along 
the line of the Transit Railroad (that runs from Fernan- 
dina to Cedar Keys) and its branches — in the vicinity of 
Starke, Waldo, Gainesville, and of Ocala and Leesburg, 
are engaged in raising vegetables of all kinds for the 
Northern markets. Thousands of crates of green peas, 
tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, onions, cabbages, cauliflower, 
spinach, celery, lettuce, beets, etc., and car-loads of water- 
melons, are gathered and shipped to all points IsTorth in 
January, February, March, and April. It is an industry 
that has, in a few years, grown to great proportions, and, 
when the season is at all favorable, repays those engaged 
handsomely. In many cases profits of several hundreds 
of dollars (upward of a thousand dollars are known of in 
several cases) have been made in a single season, from an 
acre or but little more, of some special crop, that for- 
tunately ripened and reached the market at the right 
moment. Strawberries here grow abundantly, and with 
proper care and culture yield immense crops, repaying 
wonderful profits. I know of several cases where the 
clear profit, netted from about an acre, was almost fabu- 
lous. This is rapidly becoming a leading crop or industry 
of the State. 

Semi-tropical Florida, while not very attractive in 
scenery, probably produces the greatest variety of mar- 
ketable and profitable crops of any region in our country. 
Although the hardier field-crops of the North, such as 
wheat, corn, etc., and the more delicate fruit-products of 
the extreme South, like the banana, pineapple, etc., do not 
grow well in this region, yet the variety of the vegetable 
2 



24 FLORIDA. 

kingdom, including the hardiest of the Southern and the 
tender est of the Northern crops, is so great that the land 
will always produce paying crops in one form or another. 
As transportation facilities increase, the opportunities and 
advantages will multiply ; for the crops of this region 
are grown in that season, and are of that kind, that they 
must be at once placed in the hands of the consumer. 

Without entering into a lengthy description of its 
climate or physical features, I may say that it is a healthy 
region, and that game and fish are plentiful. There is but 
one unpleasant feature to mar its numerous advantages : 
it is liable to frosts. They may come any winter — and 
may not in a dozen years — but a visit, when it comes, is 
very apt to destroy your hopes of profit for that season. 
Of oranges and such fruits, in this semi-tropical belt, the 
farther south the better ; every mile north is a step toward 
greater risk. You can not get too far south — that is, if 
you find good soil — but you can easily get too far north, 
even for semi-tropical products. 

South Florida comprises all that region of mainland 
and innumerable keys or islands, great and small, lying 
south of the twenty-eighth parallel, and is the really, truly 
tropical Florida — the Italy, the Spain, the Egypt, of the 
United States. In this region frosts rarely come, and 
every fruit, flower, shrub, plant, or product, that grows in 
any tropical region of the world grows, or can be grown, 
here. Either on its Atlantic, breezy, rocky coast ; its hot, 
.torrid, south end shores, or its balmy Gulf coast, or within 
its vast interior — the famous Everglades region — in all 
these prolific, tropical soils can something of profit be 
grown ; though, of course, the farther south the more 
surely can the really tropical products be counted upon. 
It is the region of the pineapple, banana, cocoanut, guava, 
sugar-apple, bread-fruit, sugar-cane, almond, fig, olive, and 
all the innumerable list of tropical fruits. 



NATURAL niVISIONS. 25 

The great Everglades region includes mucli of the 
mainland of this part of the State. It is not a swampy 
region, but is a flat, prairie country very much like Illi- 
nois, only this is covered with clear, pure water for thou- 
sands of square miles, from three to thirty inches deep, 
and studded with islands that have a dense growth of 
palmetto, cypress, pine, bay, cedar, oak, hickory, gum, 
magnolia, and all such timbers. These island fastnesses, 
by-the-way, are the homes of the remnant of the once 
powerful Seminole Indians. A contract has recently been 
made, and ratified by the State, for the drainage of this 
vast region, which, if successfully performed, will open up 
for settlement millions of acres of the richest and most 
v^aluable sugar and cotton lands in the world. 

The regions along the coasts generally contain the best 
soil for the production of vegetables and fruits. It is 
also in these localities that the sand-fly, gnat, mosquito, 
and such pestiferous insects are most abundant. But even 
here there are months when they are not troublesome : it 
is during the midsummer months when they are worst, 
and it is the fact that right in those localities there are 
places perfectly free from all the insects that infest other 
places. The coasts, especially on the Atlantic, are very 
rocky, and the scenery is in general exceedingly tropical 
and interesting. The woods, fields, air, lakes, bays, and 
rivers are filled with fur, fin, and feather, flesh and fowl, 
oysters, turtles, and fruits. The metropolis of all this 
region is Key West, itself on an island just off the south- 
ern extremity of the peninsula ; and other prominent 
places are Indian River, Lake Worth, Key Biscayne Bay, 
Florida Bay, Cape Sable, Whitewater Bay, Oyster Bay, 
Charlotte Harbor, and Tampa Bay. 

This is the region to go to for purely tropical products 
and for the benefits of a summer climate in winter ; but 
as a place for a continued residence the entire year, it will 



26 FLORIDA. 

not be desirable until many more settlers move in. It is 
too lonely, and the means of transportation are too few 
and irregular ; but all who live in those regions are quite 
unanimous in asserting that the climate is pleasant all the 
year, and I have reason to believe life is just as pleasant 
there in all seasons as anywhere, except for the lack of 
society and transportation above mentioned. If large set- 
tlements, towns, and cities were founded there, and regular 
communication opened, it would be one of the most de- 
lightful regions of America, healthy and agreeable, while 
the products of its salt-water coast, fresh-water lakes and 
rivers, fields, gardens, and groves would furnish to man- 
kind, at all seasons, the best and most delicious of all 
foods that human nature craves. 

" Like all other tropical countries. Tropical Florida has 
its wet and dry seasons.* The wet or rainy season is dur- 
ing midsummer, which has a tendency to cool the atmos- 
phere, and render the summer months cooler than they are in 
the more northern portions of the State or in other portions 
of the South. During the rainy season nearly the whole 
country is flooded, the country being so flat and level that 
the water does not flow off readily. A great portion of the 
country requires ditching and draining, and, when some 
systematic method shall be adopted to let off the surplus 
water during the rainy season, this portion of the State will 
prove the most productive part of the South. It has but 
few swamps or marshes, unless you consider the Everglades 
a marsh. The Alpativkee Swamp, upon the head- waters of 
the St. Lucie River, is the only swamp of any magnitude in 
Tropical Florida, and this part of the State has less swamps 
than northern Wisconsin or Michigan. The country east 
and south of the St. John's River has more swamps than any 
other part of the State through which I have traveled. 
They are principally covered with cypress-timber, and, be- 
ing easy of access from the St. Johns and Indian Rivers, 
are valuable. There are fine lands upon Halifax River and 

* The following paragraphs are abridged from a report prepared by o, 
resident at the request of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration. 



NATURAL DIVISIONS. 27 

Mosquito Lagoon, which, at a former period, were under cul- 
tivation, but were abandoned during the Indian war by their 
owners. All that portion of the State which I have denom- 
inated Tropical Florida is capable of producing oranges, 
lemons, limes, arrow-root, cassava, indigo. Sisal-hemp, sugar- 
cane, sea-island cotton, rice, figs, melons of all kinds, as well 
as the vegetables grown in the more northern States. The 
country around Charlotte Harbor and Biscayne Bay is sus- 
ceptible of producing cocoanuts, cacao, pineapples, gua- 
vas, coffee, bananas, plantains, alligator pears, and all the 
fruits and plants of the West Indies. The rich lands which 
skirt the savannas upon the coast side are covered with 
rotten limestone, and have mixed with the vegetable matter 
to that extent that the soil will effervesce as soon as it comes 
in contact with acids. These savannas are valuable for 
sugar-plantations, as the sugar-cane requires a large per- 
centage of lime, and the climate is so mild that the cane 
will not require planting oftener than once in ten or twelve 
years. The Palma Christie or castor-bean, is here perennial, 
and grows to be quite a tree. I saw a number as large 
as peach-trees twenty feet high. Sea-island cotton seems 
to be a perennial in this section of the State, and is of a fine 
quality. Live-oak, yellow pine, cabbage-tree, and mangrove 
are the most abundant forest-trees, though formerly a good 
deal of fustic, mahogany, lignum- vitae, and braziletto was to 
be met with ; but these valuable species of timber have 
been so much in demand for ship-building and commerce 
that trees of any size are rare. The most formidable obsta- 
cle the farmer meets in preparing ground for cultivation is 
the saw-palmetto {Chconmrops serrulata), with plated pal- 
mate fronds and sharply sen-ate stipes. The roots cover 
the surface of the ground, and are removed by the slow 
process of the grubbing-hoe. Several species of this genus 
of palm afforded the Florida tribes food, wine, sugar, fruit, 
cabbage, fans, darts, ropes, and cloth. Some have good 
fruit, like plums ; others austere, like dates. They are now 
chiefly used to make hats, fans, baskets, and mats, with the 
leaves. 

" The land bordering on the Caloosahatchie River and its 
tributaries is accessible by vessels drawing not more than 
six feet, and contains enough live-oak to supply the navy 
of the United States for a quarter of a century. Other val- 



28 FLO BID A. 

liable timber for sbip-building is found in the same locality. 
Such being the natural advantages which invite enterprise 
to this quarter, there can be no doubt that, when its agri- 
cultural resources are more generally understood, southern 
Florida will be covered with a dense population of thrifty 
farmers. Cuba, with almost a corresponding climate, has 
several hundred plants which serve as a basis to her agri- 
culture, such as grains, farinaceous roots, edible seeds, veg- 
etables, salads, sauces, and fruits ; the great staples of ex- 
portation — sugar, coffee, and tobacco ; plants for dyes, 
yielding oil, suitable for cordage or cloth, yielding gums 
and resins, good for tanning ; grasses ; and woods employed 
in various uses, l^ow, it is well known that most of the 
productions of Cuba are growing in south Florida, and, 
with cultivation, might be made to rival those of that cele- 
brated island. Sea-island cotton of a fine quality has been 
produced in the very center of the peninsula. Florida sur- 
passes Cuba in variety and delicacy of vegetable culture. 
At all seasons of the year beets, onions, egg-plants, carrots, 
lettuce, celery, etc., are produced with the most indifferent 
culture, while everything that grows upon vines is in abun- 
dance and in great perfection. Cabbages and Irish pota- 
toes, if planted in October, produce well. The former have 
been grown at Fort Myers, a single head weighing forty 
pounds. Cattle, hogs, and poultry increase astonishingly. 
Besides the above, tobacco, pindars, cow-peas, and Irish 
potatoes yield abundantly. 

" The prairie lands are immense meadows, clothed with 
luxuriant verdure, interspersed with clumps of oak-trees 
and palmettoes of from five to ten acres each. These lands 
are looked upon as inferior for agricultural purposes, and 
are subject to periodical inundations during the summer 
season — i. e., from the beginning of June to the 25th of 
August. They are the favorite resort of vast herds of cat- 
tle and game, which roam and graze upon the fragrant herb- 
age. The estimate of the amount of cattle is from 150,- 
000 to 200,000 head, thereby forming one of the principal 
products of the country. Stock-cattle sell for five dollars 
per head, and beef -cattle from nine to thirteen dollars per 
head. Hogs also do well, and, when strict attention is paid 
to them, pay well. I have known and heard of several 
instances in which the common woods-hog, two and a half 



NATURAL DIVISIONS. 29 

years old, weighed from 400 to 500 pounds gross. Sheep 
and colts, with the natural advantages that this country- 
possesses, could be made profitable. The forest abounds in 
game, such as bears, panthers, deer, cats, raccoons, squir- 
rels, and turkeys, and the lakes and rivers afford innumer- 
able multitudes of fish and waterfowl. There are also nu- 
merous small lakes of pure water, some of which are only 
a few rods in extent, while others are from two to ten miles 
in length, filled with fish. These prairies are the paradise 
of the herdsman and the hunter. The cattle require no 
feeding during the winter, and one can hardly travel over 
the prairies a whole day without seeing from fifty to one 
hundred deer." 



CHAPTER III. 

A TOUE OF THE STATE WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF IMMI- 

GRATIOIsT. 

In the midwinter of 18T9-'80 the Hon. Setli French^ 
State Commissioner of Immigration, decided to make an 
official tour tlirougli the southern and middle regions of 
the State, for the purpose of better informing himself as 
to the general character of the people, the soil, the prod- 
ucts, and the facilities for transportation. He kindly in- 
vited the writer to ciccompany him, and the invitation was 
gladly accepted. It was a very extensive tour, and gave 
us an unusually excellent opportunity to fully acquaint 
ourselves with a very large section of the State. Mr. 
French — known to all his friends as Dr. French — is a na- 
tive of New York, but v^as for many years a resident of 
Wisconsin. He is a man of wealth, liberal education, fine 
presence and address, social disposition, thoroughly inter- 
ested in his duties, and an enthusiast about Florida — in 
all respects just the man for the peculiar and responsible 
position which he then held. 

At noon of one rainy day late in January, we took 
passage at Jacksonville on the old, small, odd-looking but 
excellent steamer Volusia, commanded by young Captain 
Lund. It is an up-river steamer, an old-timer, built esj^e- 
cially for navigating the narrow, crooked channel of the 
far-np St. John's. The steamer was crowded with passen- 
gers, including an elderly lady and her husband, from 
New England ; a Massachusetts school-ma'rm ; a lady with 



TOUR OF TEE STATE. 31 

a daughter of about sixteen, from Ohio ; and a ladj resid- 
ing in Jacksonville, with three small children and a nurse. 
The latter was on an excursion-trip, up and return ; and 
those three children, that is to say, the two eldest boys, 
kept the entire party in an uneasy fidget for fear that they 
would or wouldn't get drowned. 

The morning of the third day found us in Lake Jessup, 
and from this point the trip was novel as well as interest- 
ing.* The St, John's above Lake Monroe (twelve miles 
below Lake Jessup) is little more than a narrow and very 
crooked creek. Passing out of Lake Jessup, we at once 
entered this narrow stream, and found ourselves in a re- 
gion differing wholly from any other portion of the St. 
John's country. It is a fiat, level region of savannas, much 
resembling the vast prairies of Illinois. In all directions 
the eye ranges to the horizon, with nothing to break the 
monotony. But though monotonous, it is not uninterest- 
ing. These savannas, or j)rairies, are everywhere densely 
covered with luxuriant growths of marshy grasses and 
maiden-cane (the latter a tall, slender, waving growth of 
the sugar-cane species, in appearance closely resembling 
fields of wheat, ten to fifteen feet high), with occasional 
clumps of timber, consisting sometimes of but three or 
four trees, and sometimes being several acres in extent. 
The trees are nearly or quite all of palmetto, and lend a 
distinctively tropical apj)earance to the scenery. They 
much resemble small islands dotted over the surface of a 
great lake. 

Throughout that entire region were to be seen hun- 
dreds of cattle grazing on the rich vegetation, which is 
said to be greatly liked by them, and very fattening. One 
herd alone, owned by J. M. Lanier, numbers over twenty 
thousand head, and there are several other herds fully 

* The lower St. John's is fully described in another chapter. 



32 FLORIDA. 

as large. The scene, too, was enlivened by hundreds of 
storks, cranes, curlews — of all gay colors — pelicans, herons, 
flamingoes, and water-turkeys, nearly all varieties being 
large, long-legged, long-necked, and long-billed, in gay- 
colored or snow-white plumage, all quite strange, and cu- 
riously interesting to the Northern visitor. Everywhere 
they could be seen standing in motionless meditation ; or, 
if the boat approached too close, they would rise in a sin- 
gularly graceful manner, and wheel off into the distance. 
The water everywhere was alive with ducks of several 
varieties, and numbering millions, probably, while alliga- 
tors were very plentiful. This, indeed, is the real home 
of these great, hideous, but always interesting saurians ; 
here are the largest size, the monsters of the race ; often 
of ten to fifteen feet in length. This portion of the river 
is, in fact, but little traveled. Only five or six small 
steamers ply upon its waters, and it is seldom that more 
than two steamers pass a given point in one day ; so the 
beasts and reptiles that haunt it are but little disturbed, 
and thrive unmolested by mankind. 

The stream is so narrow that the little steamer, only 
about twenty feet wide, often brushed the tall cane on 
both sides as it passed along. Now and then it seemed as 
if the boat was traveling on land, as it came to some 
sharp bends and pushed its way through the tall grasses 
almost overarching above. And the channel is so crooked 
that in many places the steamer would have to plow its 
nose into the bank, let the stern swing around a little, 
while a small boat, rowed by two stout deck-negroes, would 
tow the head around the sharp bend. After hours of 
travel, we could look back, and within one or two miles' 
distance see the outlines of the stream zigzagging across 
to the right and left, like a great letter S. At one point 
we could see across five of these curves within a distance 
of two miles. At intervals the stream widens into broad, 



TOUE OF THE STATE. 33 

shallow lakes, full of fish and covered with ducks. These 
lakes are the paradise of alligators, fish, birds, and cattle. 

Late in the afternoon — it was supper-time — we arrived 
at Salt Lake, the end of our journey by the boat, having 
traveled a distance of three hundred and eleven miles by 
water, or about one hundred and forty-five miles in a di- 
rect line, from Jacksonville. 

Salt Lake is a small lake, or series of connected ponds ; 
prairie on all but the east side, which has a heavy growth 
of timber, the commencement of a forest that covers the 
intervening country to the Indian River. On the shore 
was a solitary cabin, the depot of the mule-power, wooden- 
railed road over to Titusville. We anchored some distance 
from the shore, for the water was too shallow for the little 
steamer to go close in. At once several of the passengers 
took the small boat and went fishing, having a grand suc- 
cess. In a half -hour, five men caught upward of forty-five 
fine, large fish. Others continued shooting away at the ducks 
all around us, killing great numbers, that were brought in 
by the small boats. Many passengers had been shooting 
at ducks (and alligators) all day ; most of the ducks were 
picked up by a little Mexican, a member of the crew, who 
followed along behind in the row-boat, for the steamer 
goes slowly there, and he took advantage of short cuts. 

The next morning w^as beautiful ; all were up early, 
and soon the car was seen at the shore cabin. Then two 
or three negro laborers poled a large lighter out to the 
steamer, and we were soon seated in the curious vehicle. 
We met here a party of several tourist-sportsmen return- 
ing from a fishing, turtling, hunting-trip on Indian River ; 
also on the lighter was a cargo of about eighty monster 
sea-green turtles, their weight marked on their backs. 
These were on their way to the leading hotels of the 
North. " Turtle-soup to-day " was their final epitaph. 

The journey on this primitive sort of railroad was 



34 FLORIDA. 

througli a flat or slightly rolling country, timbered with 
pine, palmetto, and oak, and it was enlivened by the car 
getting off the track two or three times, caused by the 
breaking of the old wooden rails. On such occasions the 
male passengers would cheerfully assist the very good- 
natured conductor to replace the car and hunt up and 
lay a fresh rail. All were in good-humor, and seemed to 
consider it a part of the business of the trip — a sort of 
side-show entertainment, Titusville, eight miles from the 
boat-landing on Salt Lake, was reached early in the fore- 
noon, and we were at last on the Indian River. The 
town, or settlement, is the county-seat of Brevard County, 
and has about one hundred and fifty inhabitants. It con- 
tains two very neat, well-kept hotels (the Lund House and 
the Titus House), two or three small stores or shops, 
a warehouse, and about fifty dwelling-houses. The land 
thereabout is flat, and appears to be rather poor, although 
we saw excellent vegetables, and a great abundance of 
flowers, growing in the gardens of its vicinity. Across 
the river — it is really a sound, for it has no current, and 
has a slight tidal action — about a mile wide here, is a strip 
of land, and beyond this is the ocean. This strip of land 
varies from a half-mile to two miles in width, alternates 
in poorest sand-tracts and richest hammocks, where the 
most prolific crops grow, and is alive with game. Here, 
without much looking, may be found bears, deer, cougars, 
wild-cats, panthers, and the wily lynx. 

The town with its surroundings is quite troj)ical in ap- 
pearance. The Titus Hotel in particular is built in what 
may be called the tropical style — a large main building 
with two long wings, all one story high, forming three 
sides of a square neatly laid out in a garden, and with 
the rooms opening oif of the wide verandas like a row of 
houses in a city block. The table at once convinces the 
guest that he is in a tropical region, the meats being 



TOUR OF THE STATE. 35 

principally oysters, clams, fish, sL ark-steaks, turtle-steaks, 
etc., with many strange and familiar fruits and vegeta- 
bles, all tropical, and fresh in January. Colonel H. T. 
Titus is a noted character, once of great notoriety all over 
the country, as the fiercest antagonist of old John Brown, 
the Harper's Ferry Brown. These two, with their follow- 
ers, had many desperate conflicts in the early days of 
" bleeding Kansas " history. Colonel Titus is now old, a 
helpless invalid, and, curiously enough, is an uncompro- 
mising partisan of the political party which he so des- 
perately fought in its earlier history.* 

Early the next forenoon, Dr. French, Mr. Churchill, 
and myself, embarked on the trim yacht Mist for a trip 
to the sugar-plantation of Mr. Perry E. Wager, situated 
on a lagoon on Banana Creek, six miles southeast of Titus- 
ville. It was a delightful day, and the scenery was beau- 
tiful, with clear waters and myriads of ducks and strange 
birds — pelicans, storks, herons, etc. 

About noon we arrived at the plantation, and as Mr. 
Wager and the Doctor were old friends, we were all soon 
discussing an abundant dinner, after which we walked 
over the sugar-cane patch of ten acres. It was located 
in a clearing of gigantic oaks, magnolias, etc., interspersed 
with wild-orange trees laden with fruit, palmettoes, and 
the like, and covered with great vines — a jungle-scene of 
the most tropical kind. The soil was jet-black, and evi- 
dently of great fertility. Mr. Wager remarked that the 
bears and deer gave him much trouble by getting into 
his cane, of which they are very fond. A walk through 
the cane was something like a scramble through an Illinois 
cornfield, only worse, because the cane-stalks were fifteen 
to twenty feet tall, large as your wrist, and often curled 
and bent, making it like climbing through a " snake " 

* Since this was written Colonel Titus has died. 



36 FLORIDA. 

fence to proceed. We cut three stalks of the cane, each 
twenty-one feet long, and they had fifty-two, fifty-four, 
and fifty-five joints respectively. The reader must bear in 
mind that each joint represents an increased value of the 
cane for sugar, and that on the famous sugar-plantations 
of Louisiana a stalk ten feet in height, or even eight, with 
fifteen joints, is regarded as something to boast of. 

Here the planter is not obliged, by fear of frost, to cut 
all the crop at one date, thus requiring a large, hastily 
collected force and much expense ; but he can employ 
three or four hands, one at the mill, one at the sirup- 
kettle, and two to cut and haul, and with this small force 
can make sugar all the year round. Nor does the cane 
require annual planting or cultivation, hoeing, etc., but 
they cut the stalks close to the ground, strip off the leaves 
(which are much like corn-blades), and thickly cover the 
ground with them, thus keeping down the weeds, and 
securing, as they decay, a rich compost. The roots soon 
"rattoon," and no fresh planting is needed for ten or twen- 
ty years. 

The sirup of fresh cane is very sweet (to me it was 
slightly sickish) — and how the bears, hogs, and darkeys 
do love it ! It is very fattening, and a darkey on a sugar- 
plantation is always noticeable for his fat, oily appearance. 
Mr. Wager grinds his cane in a mill of three iron rollers, 
worked by a mule, and boils the extracted juice into sirup 
in a large, shallow kettle, the same as is used in making 
maple-sugar. With the labor of three negroes, he is able 
to net about sixteen hundred dollars from ten acres. 

Returning to Titusville, we embarked next day on the 
same yacht for a journey down the Indian River. It 
was a hazy, soft, dreamy, delicious sort of day, and, as 
the boat bowled along with a pleasant breeze, we qui- 
etly and indolently enjoyed it. At noon we landed at the 
home of Captain W. H. Sharpe, a very agreeable gentle- 



TOUR OF THE STATE. 37 

man from Georgia, with a Yankee wife, who entertained 
us hospitably, and showed us his thrifty young orange- 
grove and cane-field. After an excellent dinner, Captain 
Sharpe and Dr. Holmes, an Ohio gentleman, now residing 
here, joined our party ; and, a bushel of oranges being 
put on board, we continued on our journey, reaching 
Rock Ledge late in the afternoon of a wonderfully in- 
teresting day. Here we landed and accepted the warmly 
proffered hospitalities of Mr. A. L. Hatch. He came here 
several years ago from Mississippi, in search of health, 
found it, and in this charming spot is rapidly creating a 
fine home. He is an enthusiast about Florida, and is a 
zealous student of the culture of fruits and flowers. We 
all took an extensive stroll over his lawns, gardens, and 
fields, and it was like a visit to a botanical or horticult- 
ural museum, so great is the variety of plants growing 
there. An evening long to be remembered was enjoyed 
on his veranda, smoking, hearing of tropical Florida, and 
watching the full moon rising across the waters, that 
glittered like silver, while the intervening lawn showed 
strangely with aloes (or century -plants), palmettoes, oaks 
festooned with gray mosses, and multitudinous fiowers. 

Rock Ledge is twenty miles south of Titusville, and 
two and a half from Lake Winder, where the St. John's 
River steamers are taken, and freight is shipped to Jack- 
sonville, four hundred and twenty-three miles distant, or 
one hundred and sixty on an air-line. Of course the 
steamers are the diminutive kind, such as I have before 
described. 

From Rock Ledge to Xew York is about seventy hours' 
travel. The place derives its name from a formation of 
coquina-rock along the shore there, and is a very pleas- 
ant locality, with a good class of settlers, some forty in 
all. But I think they have placed the price of their lands 
too high. One hundred dollars per acre for a site on the 



38 FLORIDA. 

river is too high for the average immigrant, especially 
where the land is uncleared and unimproved. It may be 
worth it — for the soil is undoubtedly rich — to the wealthy, 
but it will bar out the industrious poor, and retard the 
growth of the region. 

It was here I made my first attempt to eat a fresh-picked 
guava. I failed miserably then, but have since learned to 
like the fruit, and think it excellent. As a friend once 
expressed it, " It's like eating a strawberry inside of an 
orange, large as a pear," only the seeds are like small shot. 
The taste for this abundant fruit is like that for tobacco — 
it must be acquired ; but, as is seldom the case with to- 
bacco, its acquisition is never regretted. 

The next morning Mrs. Hatch served us an excellent 
breakfast — peculiar in this, that it consisted almost wholly 
of various kinds of garden fruits and vegetables, cooked 
in divers ways, to show what an Indian River table can 
supply. We visited several homes in the neighborhood, 
everywhere meeting agreeable people, and were shown 
wonderful gardens. All agreed that snakes and such 
things were rarely seen, and that flies, gnats, or mosqui- 
toes were not unusually troublesome in the summer. 
Poultry, eggs, fish, oysters, turtles, and ducks are too 
plentiful for special mention. Among other places, we 
visited the Spratt orange-grove, one of the finest in Flor- 
ida, with one thousand trees growing on ten acres. The 
founder, Mr. Spratt, came here about ten years ago, an 
old man, and with but little means or money. He com- 
menced clearing the land all by himself, and now has 
a grove hard to surpass. The land is quite clean, level, 
and rich ; the trees all very uniform in size and shape, and 
thrifty, and laden with noticeably fine-looking and richly- 
flavored fruit. That grove is sure to produce henceforth 
an income of several thousand dollars annually ; and 
it is an evidence of what one poor old man can do by 



TOUE OF TEE STATE. . 39 

living a camping -out sort of life for a few years. Near 
here also is a fine guava-preserving establishment, recently 
built by some Massachusetts parties. 

After an extended tour of this region — all much alike 
in one respect, that it presented beautiful scenery and was 
deeply interesting — one pleasant morning again found us 
at the little landing on Salt Lake, and we were soon 
lightered out to another of those curious little upper St. 
John's River steamers. This was the We-ki-wa, a snug 
craft, but so very small and so odd ; every inch of space 
being utilized by the bright, active boy, a lad of about 
fifteen, who acted as steward, assistant engineer, pilot, 
dish-washer, table-waiter, chambermaid, and general-utility 
"man. There were but five or six passengers, among them 
an Ohio gentleman, who had with him a fine sporting rifle, 
which he kindly invited the Doctor and myself to try. 
The Doctor led off with a splendid shot at a very large 
alligator, pinning it permanently to the marshy bank 
where it was sunning itself. Later in the day he killed 
another. I also had the satisfaction, such as it was, of 
killing two alligators, big ones. They were very abun- 
dant all day ; often ten or more could be seen slowly 
crawling into the water, where they keep their heads up, 
staring at us, then, their curiosity satisfied, suddenly drop- 
ping from sight. 

Early the next morning we reached Enterprise, on Lake 
Monroe, where we staid some time. Our party improved 
the time by going ashore and visiting a famous sulphur- 
spring on the estate of Count Frederick de Bary, a wealthy 
New-Yorker. A fine residence, large orange-grove, pier, 
and packing-house are here, the spacious grounds all hand- 
somely fenced and improved in neat style, with every- 
thing elegant and complete. The spring is circular in 
form, about fifty feet in diameter, and is located in a 
pretty nook. The water is green as the greenest paint. 



40 FLORIDA. 

and forms quite a good-sized brook. It is slightly warm, 
tastes strongly of sulphur, but is not unpleasant. Re- 
suming our journey, the boat was soon on her way down 
the river with our friend, the Ohio man, at the wheel, 
which he managed with unexpected skill. Blue Spring 
Landing was reached at noon, and here the Doctor and I 
left the boat. It was February 1st, and a very warm 
day. The spring, from which the landing takes its name, 
covers about an acre, is of very pure, clear water, of a 
slightly sulphurous flavor, and deep blue in color ; it is 
the fountain-head of quite a large stream that flows into 
the St. John's. The adjacent grounds are slightly rolling, 
and the general appearance is picturesque, offering a flne 
site for a winter hotel. The water looked so cool, clear, 
and tempting, that we couldn't resist, and, finding a re- 
tired nook, we plunged in and enjoyed the agreeable 
novelty of an open-air bath in midwinter. Afterward 
a warm walk of about two miles brought us to Orange 
City, in Volusia County, and we were soon in the cozy, 
hospitable home of the Doctor, his own Florida abiding- 
place. 

Orange City was founded in 1876 by the Doctor and 
a number of congenial spirits, mostly from Wisconsin. 
Already a good deal of land has been cleared, roads and 
streets have been surveyed and opened in every direction, 
and lots set off for business and residence purposes, a school, 
churches, and shops. Several stores and eighty or more 
residences have been erected, new fences and buildings are 
constantly being built, and the place is rapidly growing, 
having a population now of about three hundred, which 
is increasing every month. One hundred and seventy-five 
groves, on about one thousand acres of land, are in bloom, 
and new groves and gardens are being started everywhere 
in the vicinity. Here I met two young men, brothers, 
from New York City, who came a short time ago for 



TOUR OF THE STATE. 41 

their health, and now have one of the largest and finest 
pineapple-fields in the State. The newsy " South Florida 
Times " is published here. The two following days were 
spent in short tramps and drives in the surrounding coun- 
try. The third day, the Doctor, with his son, myself, and 
Mr. Andrew Jackson, a jeweler from Eau Claire, Wis- 
consin, a wealthy, shrewd business-man, distributed our- 
selves in a wagon, and started on a trip through the 
country. The roads were in good condition, and we 
trotted along briskly, passing new homes everywhere, the 
people being all busily engaged in fencing, clearing, build- 
ing, or setting out trees. At noon we arrived at De 
Land, another enterprising colony, mostly from western 
New York. The site was located in 1877 by Mr. H. A. 
De Land, the celebrated soda-manufacturer of Fairport, 
New York, and bears his name. The country here con- 
sists of rolling, open pine-land, and is quite pretty and 
home-like in appearance. A fine church and a first-class 
schoolhouse, one of the best in the State, several stores, 
and dwellings, had then been erected ; and the buildings 
were all of noticeably substantial, comfortable construc- 
tion, while the house-grounds were cleared up and set 
out with flowers and shrubs. The "Florida Agricultur- 
ist " is published here. It has a large circulation, and is 
considered standard authority on all subjects in its special 
line. 

From De Land we drove to Spring Garden, another 
of the enterprising colonies of this favorite section. New 
York and Illinois are mostly represented here. In 1872 
Major George H. Norris, a native of western New York, 
well known in Chicago, came here and purchased an im- 
mense Spanish grant, and, having perfected his title, laid 
out this pretty hamlet. A large amount of land has been 
cleared in the vicinity, and wide streets have been opened 
for miles, well fenced, and set out with orange-trees for 



42 FLORIDA. 

shade. The " Spring Garden House," quite a cozy, home- 
like, well-built hotel, is kept by Mr. E. M. Turner, a wide- 
awake Chicago hotel-man. It stands in a large orange- 
grove, surrounded by a number of pretty hotel-cottages 
for invalid guests. A landing -pier and packing - house 
have been built at Spring Garden Lake, two miles distant, 
where the St. John's River steamers land goods and passen- 
gers. Quite a number of families have their homes here, 
and form an unusually select and refined community, dis- 
crimination being exercised in the sale of lands. Their 
homes are noticeably well constructed, and have an air of 
settled improvement, surrounded by lawns, gardens, and 
groves, grape-arbors, fences, etc. In the evening quite a 
party of the residents met us at the hotel, and a very pleas- 
ant, entertaining time was enjoyed. Accompanying the 
Major to his hosj^itable residence near by, I had the pleas- 
ure of feasting on a heaping dish of freshly-picked straw- 
berries, and partaking of gome excellent samples of orange- 
wine. 

The next morning we drove to the immense orange- 
groves owned by Major Norris. He has 11,000 trees, 
mostly on hammock-lands, which are nearly all bearing ; 
in fact, he gathered, last winter upward of 460,000, filling 
3,100 boxes ! In time that grove will produce millions, 
yielding a princely revenue. The trees were nearly all 
sour stumps budded with sweet fruit. The Major said, 
"In a few years I will show the visitor here an avenue 
five miles long, lined with solid orange-groves all the way," 
and I think it quite likely that such a spectacle may then 
be seen. At the house of Mr. B. F. Haynes we were feast- 
ed on delicious bananas ; and another resident whom we 
met was Pi-ofessor Isaac Stone, who was for years United 
States consul at Singapore. His wife, Mrs. Stone, is the 
author of a standard work on India — " India and its 
Princes." 



TOUR OF THE STA.TE. 



43 



Orange City, De Land, and Spring Garden, are three 
places that impressed me as favorably as any I have seen 
in Florida. There are other places that are more inter- 
esting for historical reminiscences or scenery, or for some 
particular enterprise ; and others may, very likely, become 




larger and more active communities, like Sanford, Lees- 
burg, and Charlotte Harbor ; but those three places first 
named will, I think, always be pretty, home-like, pros- 
perous villages, of slow, steady, healthy growth and solid 
prosperity. The region has a mean elevation of about 



44 FLORIDA. 

seventy feet above tide-water, and is noted for its health- 
fulness. 

From Spring Garden we returned to Orange City, vis- 
iting Beresford, Volusia, and Starke's Landing, all on the 
lake. They are merely little landing-places, with but three 
or four families in the immediate neighborhood, but are 
the foci of quite a goodly number of families living back 
on the highlands. At Starke's Landing we visited the 
famous old grove of Captain Starke, and saw hundreds 
of noble orange-trees twenty-five to thirty-five years old, 
scattered about irregularly over a grand old lawn. Some 
of them are fully thirty feet high, and bear crops of from 
two to ten thousand oranges each. This was one of the 
grand old English estates of the last century, the property 
of Lord Beresford. Remains of his extensive improve- 
ments are yet to be seen. Here we saw hogs feeding on 
oranges, and it certainly seemed a shame to see them eat- 
ing such rich fruit. Here also we saw an immense tree 
that had just been transplanted with its crop in full fruit, 
and showed no signs of injury. 

All that region is of hilly pine-land, with open growth 
of trees and excellent soil, the exceptions of bad soil being 
very few. And it undoubtedly is a very healthy section 
and quite free from insects, being high, well drained, pine- 
timbered, and open to the pure sea-breeze all along its 
eastern coast. Ormond, Port Orange, Daytona, and Smyr- 
na, are all thrifty, enterprising, growing little hamlets, lo- 
cated in the rich hammock-belt of land on the adjacent 
ocean-coast, where they have the advantages of good soil 
and both fresh and salt water ; but the insects in the sum- 
mer months make a residence there unpleasant except in 
some specially favorable locations. Each has from ten 
to fifty families of unusually agreeable, select people, the 
nucleus of future pleasant communities. In fact, the peo- 
ple of nearly all the villages and settlements throughout 



TOUR OF TEE STATE, 45 

Yolusia County are of exactly the right sort of IsTorthern 
stock, and under their enterprising, law-abiding control, 
the region is sure to become one of the most prosperous in 
Florida. 

The next morning we bade farewell to the good peo- 
ple of Orange City, and again set out on our travels. At 
Blue Spring Landing we took the steamer George M. Bird, 
which in the course of the afternoon carried us to Sanford, 
where we remained over the following day, a rainy Sun- 
day. Sanford and the adjacent country I have considered 
important enough to have a chapter to itself ; so, to avoid 
repetition, will say nothing about it here. 

Early on Monday morning vv^e resumed our journey in a 
fine two-horse rig, accompanied by Mr. D. L. Way, editor 
of the " South Florida Journal," of Sanford. Our route 
was southwest from the St. John's, and for the first five 
or six miles the ride was through a flat, uninteresting coun- 
try, which gradually rises and becomes fairly hilly. Alta- 
monte was reached about noon, and we were invited to the 
pleasant home of Mr. George E. Wilson, a young man who 
came here from Maine several years ago, and now has 
a comfortable house, a large orange-grove, and a grocery, 
a perfect sample of New England enterprise and thrift. 
After an excellent dinner, we visited some fine gardens in 
the neighborhood, and saw ample evidence of good soil 
and energetic people. It is noted as a pleasant neighbor- 
hood, the residents being generally cultured people from 
the North, and the appearance of the country thereabout 
is pleasing. It is quite likely that they will have railroad 
communication with Sanford soon, which will undoubtedly 
make this a fine locality for either residence or occasional 
resort. 

Late in the afternoon we reached Apopka, v/here we re- 
mained overnight. It is a small place, of about three hun- 
dred inhabitants, mostly Southern natives, and the cluster 



46 



FLORIDA. 



of cheaply constructed buildings, all of plainest design, un- 
painted and weather-beaten, closely huddled together on 

the narrow, short streets, 
gives it an appearance 
much like the backwoods 
hamlets of Alabama, Geor- 
gia, and the States of that 
belt. The soil thereabout 
is rolling pine and ham- 
mock, and famous for its 
fertility. We visited sev- 
eral gardens and groves, 
and saw none better any- 
where else in the State. 
It is an excellent region 
for oranges, sugar - cane, 
and vegetables, and is ex- 
ceptionally healthy. The 
country is everything that 
could be desired, but there 
is an evident lack of taste 
and enterprise among the 
inhabitants. It is the cen- 
ter of a good trade, being 
the most pretentious town 
in that region, has a good 
average school, and will, 
no doubt, soon have rail- 
way connection with the 
St. John's at Sanford. 

Three miles from the 

town is Lake Apopka, a 

superb body of water — an inland sea, about fifty miles in 

circumference, surrounded by a large tract of hammock, 

with a rolling black soil, densely covered with forests of 




TOUR OF THE STATE. - 47 

hard- woods, etc. The richness of the soil in this hammock 
is famous throughout the State. Hon. T. G. Speer, State 
Senator, is engaged in cutting a series of short canals that 
will give water communication from Lakes Apopka, Dora, 
Eustis, and Griffin, into the Ocklawaha, and so to Jackson- 
ville. When this short canal (or a railroad outlet) shall 
have been secured, this lake will soon be surrounded by a 
large population. 

The next mornino- we turned northward, and at noon 
reached Zellwood, on little Lake Maggiore, where we ac- 
cepted the cordial hospitalities of Colonel T. Elwood Zell, 
who owns a fine estate and a beautiful home here, and 
from whom the locality derives its name. The country 
from Apopka to this place, which we traversed, was all 
high, rolling pine-land, with frequent lakes and hammocks, 
evidently very good soil. The vicinity of Zellwood is very 
attractive, with productive soil and agreeable scenery. The 
Colonel and his charming wife are Philadelphians, who 
spend much of their time abroad, but make occasional win- 
ter visits to their dainty home on this pretty spot. 

It was quite dark w^hen we arrived at Pendryville, on 
Lake Eustis, where we found very comfortable accommo- 
dations at Mr. A. S. Pendry's home — the Ocklawaha Hotel. 
Mr. Pendry is from Rochester, N^ew York, and has select- 
ed a very attractive location for his home. He has cleared 
a large tract of land, built a good hotel, fenced his lots, 
and made many improvements. It is generally a rolling 
pine-land thereabout, wdth small lakes, and large tracts 
of hammock bordering on Lake Eustis. Undoubtedly a 
healthy region of pleasing scenery, it will very likely be- 
come in time quite a prosperous place.* Here Mr. Way 

* This prediction has been verified much sooner than I could then have 
suspected. Visiting Pendryville in June, 1881, I was struck with astonish- 
ment at the progress that had been made in the brief space of a year and 
a half. The Pendry farm has been laid out in town-lots, v/hich are rapidly 
3 



48 FLORIDA. 

left US to return to his home in Sanford, greatly to our re- 
gret, for he proved a most agreeable traveling companion. 
He has a line, thrifty-looking orange-grove, prettily located 
on two small lakes, visited by us shortly after leaving Zell- 
wood. 

We remained all day at Pendryville, driving about, 
viewing the prospects, and forming a very favorable opin- 
ion of the locality. The right class of immigrants are set- 
tling there, and a railroad is certain to tap that region very 
soon. The St. ,John's and Lake Eustis Railroad is now 
within two miles of the hotel. After dinner next day, 
we drove over to Fort Mason, on the opposite shore of 
Lake Eustis. On the route we stopped at the home of the 
Hon. J. M. Bryan, member of the Legislature, and he ac- 
com23anied us to the town, which consists of a hotel, tv/o 
well-stocked stores, and a cotton-press. The country and 
soil thereabout is rich, low hammock. Here we met Sena- 
being bouglit and built upon, numerous orange-groves have been set out in 
the vicinity, population is pouring in with unprecedented rapidity, and the 
bustle and stir of a prosperous growth are everywhere visible. Owing 
largely to the skillful and well-directed efiPorts of Mr. John A. ]\Iacdonald, 
editor of the "Florida New-Yorker," attention has been attracted to the 
advantages of the locality ; and in no portion of the State have I observed 
more healthy and pleasing signs of progress — such as neat and tasteful 
fences, substantial houses, and lands thoroughly cleared and carefully culti- 
vated. The young orange-groves, too, looked exceptionally well, and re- 
markably early returns have been obtained in some cases that were called 
to my attention. Moreover, as I saw more of the country, I was impressed 
much more strikingly with its scenic attractiveness. Rolling hills and undu- 
lating slopes are the characteristic features of the region, bold bluffs front 
the lakes on almost every side, and from certain points on the northern 
shore of Lake Dora (about five miles from Pendryville) views are obtained 
that are unlike anything seen elsewhere in Florida. The lake itself nestles 
at the foot of wooded bluffs over a hundred feet in height ; on the oppo- 
site shore still higher hills lift boldly from the water ; while farther away 
still, beyond Lake Harris, at the distance of twenty-eight miles, a misty 
line of heights rises almost mountainously against the horizon. 



TOUR OF THE STATE. 49 

tor T. G. Speer, who was engaged in constructing his 
dredging-machine, and he explained his intention of cut- 
ting a canal so as to connect the entire series of large 
lakes in this famous lake-region. This improvement will 
open up a vast amount of rich soil to transportation con- 
veniences. 

The country from this point to Leesburg is all a rolling 
pine-land, in some places quite hilly, and contains innu- 
merable small lakes and frequent tracts of rich hammocks, 
in which we saw many wild groves of sour oranges grow- 
ing, all laden with their deceptive golden fruit. The Doc- 
tor pronounced it an excellent region, of rich soil ; but 
very few houses or improvements were seen. At one 
of the few houses encountered on the route (a handsome, 
new building, occupied by a family from Illinois), we 
stopped and were shown a splendid large orange-grove, 
yielding the owner an income of several thousand dol- 
lars annually. He had come here very poor, had lived 
cheaply and worked hard, and now is reaping his reward. 

Early in the afternoon we crossed the wild head-waters 
of the Ocklawaha, on a ferry worked by hauling on a rope 
stretched across on poles. The road on either side was, 
for a long distance, through a dense jungle, and we were 
glad to get well through it and reach our destination, 

Leesburg, the county-seat of Sumter County, the home 
of about two hundred people, is a quiet, contented, easy- 
going, rather old-fashioned sort of a place, all the business 
houses being low, plain, wooden buildings, mostly of one 
story, ranged along one wide, sandy street. A good win- 
ter hotel is badly needed, and would probably be a profit- 
able investment. The town lies in the midst of a rather 
flat pine and hammock country, the soil of which is nearly 
all very rich. It has a good school and church, and an 
orderly society, which includes only one lawyer, who does 
not make a very large income, although they boast that 



50 FLORIDA. 

he can earn double fees by arguing for both parties in the 
same case. The adjacent region is being rapidly taken up, 
and already contains many settlers. This is the upper end 
of navigation on the Ocklawaha River, which furnishes the 
only outlet of the region. Leesburg has, beyond doubt, 
a prosperous future before it ; within the year, probably, 
the Peninsular Railroad will reach there, and its central 
position insures it a large and increasing trade. 

The whole of the day following our arrival was spent 
in looking about the town, gathering statistics of its 
trade, garden and field crops, shipping facilities, etc. The 
next morning we accepted an invitation to enjoy a sail 
on Lake Harris, and at an early hour were on board, a 
trim and rapid yacht. The party included Mr. William 
Fox, once of Chicago, now a prominent citizen of Lees- 
burg ; Mr. George Pratt, owner and editor of the " Lees- 
burg Advance " ; Mr. Jackson, owner of the yacht, re- 
cently of Cincinnati, now residing on Lake Eustis, where 
he has purchased a fine property ; and ourselves. 

It was a beautiful day, with a pleasant breeze, and 
we bowled along over the clear waters of this lovely lake 
(it is eight miles wide by ten miles long) in exhilarat- 
ing style. The shore everywhere has much natural beau- 
ty, being high, with a rich, dark soil, generally covered 
with a heavy growth of very large hard-wood trees, 
oaks, etc., evidently very fertile as well as very pictu- 
resque. We passed several fine estates, their lands neatly 
cleared and fenced, substantial, cozy-appearing houses, 
surrounded by pretty gardens, flowers, and young groves, 
presenting perfect pictures as seen from our boat. Among 
several places at which we stopped was that of Colonel 
J. W. Marshall, a hearty, genial, intelligent gentleman 
of the old school, who came here from South Carolina 
shortly after the war, which so sadly impoverished the 
planters of that State. Here he has established himself 



TOUR OF TEE STATE. 51 

on a grand estate, containing several large orange-groves 
of all varieties and ages, from the tender seedling grove 
to the full bearing, and all remarkably thrifty and well 
kept. The oldest grove, now in full bearing, yielding im- 
mense crops, is one of the finest we saw in all the State, 
with the largest-sized trees and the heaviest crops. 

The old Colonel showed us all over his extensive estate; 
it has a rich soil, carefully cleared, a rolling, hilly surface, 
and produces a great variety of plants and fruits, including 
teas, coffees, etc., fully demonstrating the fact that every- 
thing in the way of fruits, flowers, garden and field prod- 
ucts, may be grown on the soil of this lake-region. Taking 
us finally into his bearing grove and pausing at a large 
tree, the low-hanging branches of which were laden with 
easily plucked fruit, he gave us a complete course of in- 
struction in the fascinating, divinely refreshing art of " or- 
ange-eating and how to do it." And his recipe, while it 
may not be of the highest degree of mincing daintiness — 
the eating-soup-with-a-fork style — is an exceedingly enjoy- 
able, practical method of getting the juice, the whole juice, 
and nothing but the juice, out of an orange. Said he : 
" Now, gentlemen, roll up your sleeves, remove your cuffs, 
high collars, etc., unbutton your vests and a few other 
waist-buttons ; take a sharp knife, pull a dark-shade, heavy 
orange, peel it to the quick all around, leave no bitter rind, 
shut your eyes and suck ; don't bite — just suck." 

The reader hardly needs to be assured that we obeyed 
to the letter. I think we each averaged about fifteen or- 
anges in rapid succession — and in silence, sweet silence — 
one steady draught of nectar pure and wholesome. Lack 
of capacity alone compelled us, one by one, to regretfully 
cease this luscious feast ; and repairing to the house, we 
were invited, after a short respite, to partake of a fine 
dinner, well washed down with select brands from an evi- 
dently well-stocked cellar. Soon after dinner we took our 



52 FLORIDA. 

departure from this hospitable home, the old Colonel de- 
j)ositing a huge basketful of oranges in our boat as a 
remembrancer. We bade him good-by with regret, all 
hoj^ing that his considerable shadow may never be less.* 

A long, circuitous sail was made around the lake that 
we might view its beautiful shores, and we reached the 
hotel in the evening. Early next morning we resumed 
our journey, and were soon well on our way to Sumterville, 
west of Leesburg. The route lay through a rather flat, 
uninteresting belt that appeared generally wet, and, in 
tracts, marshy, a good sugar-cane region. We crossed one 
broad body of water, which was much deeper than our 
driver had counted upon, and, in consequence, we barely 
escaped the unpleasant incident of a ducking. In some 
places the road passed through extensive hammocks, always 
attractive. About five miles from Leesburg we reached 
the stony belt of Central Florida, the only locality in all 
the peninsula (except along the coasts and in some of the 
northern counties) where we found stones. Here they 
were plentiful, scattered about in all shapes and sizes, and 
it gave us considerable satisfaction to hear the wheels click 
along over them, with the music so familiar in more north- 
ern regions. 

It was noon (Sunday noon) when Sumterville was 
reached, and our team turned back to its starting-point, 
while we took quarters at the primitive hostelry that offers 
scant accommodations to way-bound travelers. Sumter- 
ville is an old ante-hellmn settlement, with large tracts of 
cleared land — evidently a high level, as it is not wet — 
with a dark soil, which is undoubtedly very rich and pro- 
ductive. The hamlet contains two or three very rude 
backwoods sort of stores, and about a dozen dwellings, 
but has great expectations, that are quite likely to be ful- 

* Since our visit, Colonel MarsLall has sold this grove for |28,000 cash. 



TOUR OF TEE STATE. 53 

filled, as it is on the present State stage-line and United 
States mail-i'oute from Ocala to Tampa, and is on the di- 
rect line from Leesburg to the latter place, such as a rail- 
road will desire to select. It is a good, healthy, fertile 
region, needing only settlers. 

The next day several of the residents called on ns, 
and we spent the day, a warm one, in visiting a number 
of gardens and fields and orange-groves in the vicinity. 
Everywhere the vegetables, crops, and fruits looked finely, 
growing in great abundance with little care. We also 
drove to Lake Panasofkee, six miles distant, a large lake 
surrounded with rich black hammock-land, the region 
for sugar-cane and all garden and field crops. Also in 
this neighborhood are numerous large " sinks " of the land, 
so frequent in all parts of Middle Florida, usually circular 
in form, the sides quite straight and smooth, varying from 
twenty-five to one hundred and more feet in depth, and 
seldom containing any, or but little, water. This, indeed, 
is the singular feature about them, for often they are close 
to large lakes whose waters are fifty feet above the bot- 
tom of the sink, yet none in the sink. It is as if some- 
thing had given way in the bowels of the earth, and the 
soil had fallen in ; but they must all have subterranean 
outlets, for in no other way can the absence of water 
be accounted for. 

The next morning we took the stage-coach, a little 
rattle-trap sort of an affair, and were soon on our way 
to Brooksville. It is a long ride through a decidedly 
rolling country, mostly pine-land, with very little ham- 
mock, and few lakes. The stone belt extends all through 
this region, ending along the Withlacoochee River. It 
closely resembles the piny-woods region in Michigan, 
and the ride became very tedious and monotonous, ex- 
cept that we saw any quantity of feathered and furred 
game, rabbits, squirrels, quail, etc., and occasionally wild 



54: FLORIDA. 

turkeys, large and shy. This is a range wliere deer and 
bear also are plentiful. 

The entire trip that day was through an unsettled 
region, the only human beings living anywhere along 
the road being four or five families of Florida natives, 
the genuine, unadulterated " cracker " — the clay-eating, 
gaunt, pale, tallowy, leather-skinned sort — stupid, stolid, 
staring eyes, dead and lusterless ; unkempt hair, generally 
tow-colored ; and such a shiftless, slouching manner ! sim- 
ply white savages — or living white mummies would, per- 
haps, better indicate their dead-alive looks and actions. 
Who, or what, these " crackers " are, from whom descend- 
ed, of what nationality, or what becomes of them, is one 
among the many unsolved mysteries in this State. Stupid 
and shiftless, yet shy and vindictive, they are a block in 
the pathway of civilization, settlement, and enterprise 
wherever they exist. Fortunately, however, they are very 
few and rapidly decreasing in numbers, for they can not 
exist near civilized settlements. The four or five cabins 
we passed of these "crackers" were bare log structures, 
with low roofs, no doors or windows — merely openings — 
or fireplaces ; no filling between the logs, and usually no 
floors ; no out-houses, wells, or fences ; and no gardens or 
plants, except a sweet-potato patch. A near lake, or spring, 
supplies their water ; hogs, cattle, and game, their meat ; 
and the tops of cabbage-palmettoes, sweet-potatoes, and 
wild fruits, form almost their only diet ; while pellets of 
clay eaten as a seasoning ingredient take the place of 
needed salt and pepper. 

As the stage was slowly climbing a rise in the road, 
we were surprised to see four women, seated on a fallen 
tree close by the roadside ; all were of precisely the same 
size, with the same features, eyes, and hair, and a vacant, 
stupid stare ; each wore a light-colored, faded calico dress, 
of plainest, scantiest possible make, quite clean (a surpris- 



TOTIR OF THE STATE. 55 

ing fact), and large, plain, cotton sun-bonnets ; each wore a 
cheap, bright-hued, cotton handkerchief around her neck ; 






A Paik of "Ceackees." 



and they were all barefooted, carrying their low, thick- 
soled shoes in their hands. The dress and kerchief ap- 
peared to be their only garments — no underwear whatever. 



56 FLORIDA. 

Our driver, a sociable sort of fellow from Ohio, stopped 
and chatted with this strange feminine quartet, and we 
learned that they were a mother and three daughters, 
which was the climax of surprise to us, for the four faces 
all appeared of the same age. They were going to a 
dance at a " cracker's," some fifteen miles farther on, and 
they had already walked about five miles. Think of 
woman — lovely, tender woman! — walking barefoot twenty 
miles to dance all night in a close cracker cabin, with whis- 
ky-perfumed cracker males, to the scraping of a wheezy 
violin in the hands of an old darkey ; the scene lighted 
with pine-knots ; the feast of hog, hominy, beef, sweet-po- 
tatoes, and likely a few villainous compounds of flour, 
cheapest Ibrown sugar, or sirup, and called caJce or " risin'- 
bread." And, perhaps, that cracker ball will be kej^t up 
two or three days and nights, until all the stock of eatables 
and whisky is used up. 

The " cracker," when resolved to give a dance, shoots 
some game and carves a hog, finds a market and sells his 
game for a little cash, lays in a stock of whisky, a little 
flour, cheap sugar, sirup, tobacco, hominy, or grits, more 
whisky, coffee, or cheap tea, goes home, sets the " wimmin- 
folks " to baking, while he resolves himself into an invi- 
tation committee, and sets out on his lean, lank, cracker 
pony, and invites all the crackers for miles around to " cum 
raound." And they come. A fight generally ends the 
dance, and the best man wins the girl, for these dances are 
usually prolific of "jinin" matches. It should be said, 
however, ^er contra^ that there is very little sexual immo- 
rality at these half -civilized gatherings, for the mothers — 
as in this case — are also on hand, and keep a sharp eye on 
proceedings ; while the men — the fathers — will shoot. 

We passed on, and at noon crossed the Withlacoochee 
River, at Hays's Ferry, where there are two or three cabins. 
The river is here a wide, deep, dark-colored, swift-running 



TOUR OF THE STATE. 57 

stream, A rope stretched from bank to bank was our 
means of passage. Just across the river we found the 
cabin of a cracker, and here we were to get dinner. After 
a long delay, we were called in and told to " set by " ; but, 
although the table was heaped with food (alleged to be), 
yet I couldn't eat of it : sweet-potatoes in two styles — 
baked and fried in slices — but less than half cooked in either 
shape ; bread, merely chunks of yellow, hot, steamy dough, 
incased in burned crusts ; muddy coffee (plenty of grounds 
for being muddy, if the reader will excuse the pun) ; and 
fat pork. There were eggs visible, however ; so, under 
pretense of not feeling loell, I induced the cook to soft- 
boil a few, and, having managed to strain off some coffee 
from its mud basis, worried through a luncheon„ The 
housewife was of indolent, unhealthy, flabby appearance, 
slattern and unwholesome. Said the driver, who knew 
them well, "That hasband of yours, if he should ever 
trip up in a mud-puddle, would lie and die there, he is so 
lazy," And that loving wife replied, with a shallow smile: 
" Yas, I 'sj^ect that's so ; he are mos' dreffle, or'nary, lazy- 
like, sho' enuff, jes' no 'count." The listening husband 
grinned as if a compliment had been paid him. 

Such villainous, disgusting cooking as that found on 
the tables of the low whites of this region is surely un- 
equaled. The ignorance among the women of this very 
necessary art is frightful. Living in a region where, al- 
most without solicitation, Nature provides all the daintiest 
and best of fruits and garden-vegetables, yet their tables 
seldom have any sauces or fruits of any kind, except occa- 
sionally dried apple-sauce, bought at the store, or else some 
wretchedly made guava- jelly. Vegetables are seldom seen 
on any tables, except those of the land-owner class, or of 
Northern settlers occupying homes in the neighborhood. 
No wonder the " crackers " look so unhealthy, or are so 
stupid, or that the men take to whisky, and like to fight so 



58 FLORIDA. 

vindictively. Anything that involves a change must be 
agreeable to people fed on such wretched diet. Steam- 
engines are great civilizers of nations, but good cooking 
beats anything as a civilizer of individuals. I have seen 
its beneficial effects among the very worst Indians of the 
West. 

Resuming our journey, the region passed over in the 
afternoon differed somewhat from that of the forenoon, 
being more hilly, and involving a constant going up and 
down of more or less steep inclines. We were now out 
of the stony belt, and the hammocks were more frequent. 
No settlers were seen, and game was very abundant. Late 
in the afternoon large tracts of cleared land began to be 
seen, mostly neglected ; and at supper-time we reached 
Brooksville. Standing on the broad, level top of a high 
hill, in the midst of many hills — the largest hills we saw 
in any part of the State — Brooksville is one of the most 
prettily located towns or settlements we saw in Florida, 
being equaled only by Tallahassee. It is, in fact, the 
most un-Florida-appearing place imaginable, with excel- 
lent, rich, dark-brov/n soils, occasional stones and gravel, 
first-class hard country roads in all directions ; forests 
of oaks, maple, beech, hickory, and all such hard-AVOod 
growths, rail-fences, and far-viewing hills. All was like 
Ohio, Wisconsin, New York — the western part on the Erie 
Railway — in fact, anywhere in a hilly but not rocky re- 
gion. Even the houses, the old and the few (very few) 
new oneSj somehow do not look Florida-like. 

This is one of the most desirable sections of the State. 
Although not at all tropical in appearance, yet all the 
products of the tropical as well as of the northern cli- 
mates grow here. Cotton, cane, wheat, oats, bananas, 
oranges, peaches, corn, guavas, figs, all thrive as well as in 
any of their special regions. Here also we found grass, 
a good sod, that seemed refreshing to walk on. Prior to 



TOUE OF THE STATE. 59 

the war this was a region of large plantations and wealthy- 
planters. All seem to have left, as their slaves left, aban- 
doning everything. The houses decayed and were de- 
molished, fences were destroyed, broad fields have gone 
to waste, and weeds, underbrush, and tangled vines have 
everywhere taken the place of cultivated crops. 

ISText morning we found Mr. Frederick L. Robertson, 
editor of the "Brooksville Crescent," an old friend of the 
Doctor's. Horses were procured, and we rode to the resi- 
ence of State Senator H. T. Lykes, on Spring Hill, six 
miles distant ; then across the country, ten miles, to the 
large estate of Mr. William Hope, where we found all 
varieties of vegetables growing finely, and rode through 
a field of several hundred acres of oats, spreading out 
over the hills and valleys — Ohio, surely, except for the 
season (it was February) ! Good roads, numerous brooks, 
hard-wood forests, broad fields (abandoned mostly), plenty 
of game, was the result of our observations. The town 
is the county-seat of Hernando County, and contains the 
court-house — a large, new, wooden building, a good struct- 
ure, but provokingly plain in design — three groceries, two 
or three saloons, and about thirty dwellings, nearly all 
small cottages, generally surrounded by small gardens, and 
groves of orange and such trees. Everything looks old- 
fashioned and of out-in-the-country style. Yet in lo- 
cation and soil it is the gem of South Florida ; and, if 
a railroad should ever reach here — which is very likely, 
for any road to Tampa will surely pass through Brooks- 
ville — it will very probably become, in time, the center of 
a thickly settled, prosperous region. 

Late in the afternoon we set out on our journey to 
Tampa, fifty miles distant. Fort Taylor was reached at 
twilight. This place, once the site of a military camp, 
now has but one house, surrounded by a fine grove of 
old orange-trees. About midnight we reached the hum- 



60 FLORIDA. 

ble cabin of the stage-station, where we obtained lodg- 
ings which, though very rough, were acceptable after our 
ride of twenty-six miles. The route had been through a 
slightly rolling pine-wood region, with a dark soil of 
average fertility, few lakes, no settlers, and very little 
hammock. 

Early next morning we were out looking about the 
ranch, a plain little roughly constructed building, sur- 
rounded by numerous out-houses, and a garden, where a 
variety of tropical plants were thriving. The keeper 
was a genuine curiosity, an old regular army veteran, 
a native of Maine, who came to this country as a pri- 
vate of the Second Regiment U. S. Artillery to fight 
the Seminoles in 1835, and has remained here ever since. 
After a breakfast, abundant but rudely pre^^ared, we 
resumed our journey, passing through a region similar 
in all respects to that traversed on the previous day, lone- 
ly and monotonous, rolling pine-land of average fertility, 
no settlers, but abundance of game. 

At noon we reached the Hillsborough Hiver, a stream 
about fifty feet wide and eight or ten feet deep, and 
crossed it on a well-constructed toll-bridge. Beyond the 
river the appearance of the country changes very much, 
being a high, rolling, open-hammock region, with fair 
soil and a heavy growth of native wire-grass. Clearings 
and houses, gardens and groves, began to appear, and 
we were once more in a region of settlers. Late in the 
afternoon we at last drove into Tarapa, very hot, much 
fatigued, dusty, and hungry. The last few miles had 
been over very sandy and parched roads, making hard 
pulling for the tired horses ; and we felt exceedingly 
glad when we halted at last in front of a cool, quiet, 
inviting-looking hotel, that much resembled a neat and 
comfortable village dwelling. 

We had completed a long journey seldom taken — a 



TOUR OF TEE STATE. 61 

ride across the heart of South Florida from the Atlantic 
to the Gulf, a distance of about one hundred and forty 
miles in a direct line, but about two hundred and fifty 
as traversed by us, with side-excursions to visit promi- 
nent places. 

Tampa is an old town, the name being associated 
with the very earliest Spanish history of the State, and 
is well known as " a place in Florida " by all school- 
children throughout the country. 

It is quaint and old-fashioned in appearance, contains 
about fifteen hundred inhabitants, and is situated at the 
upper end of Tampa Bay. It is laid out with consider- 
able regularity into squares, with streets of usual width, 
level and clean, but very sandy. Having been designed 
for a big place, the town is much scattered, the houses 
average few to the block, and, though the sidewalks are 
generally good, there is much " cutting across-lots " in 
going from one point to another. Few of the dwellings 
are pretentious, but they have a comfortable, home-like 
appearance, all standing in ample grounds, and nearly all 
having abundance of tropical fruits, plants, flowers, shrubs 
and vines, sea-shells, and the like, reminding the visitor 
that he is in a tropical clime. 

The public buildings — court-house, schools, churches, 
and halls — are all well-built, fair-sized structures, quite 
creditable to the remote little community. There is no 
large hotel of the customary hotel style, and such an es- 
tablishment is greatly needed. The present accommoda- 
tions for travelers are three small dwellings, neat, clean, 
and well kept, but not roomy — mere boarding-houses, in 
fact. The business-houses are all plain, village-like, low- 
roofed, wooden structures, scattered irregularly along the 
street leading to the wharf. They generally carry good 
stocks, and a large business is transacted here. 

The United States Government owns a larg^e tract of 



62 FLORIDA. 

land, forming a peninsula which reaches out into the 
harbor. It is a lovely spot of about seventy-five acres, 
quite like a park, with rolling surface, covered with good 
sod of native grasses, while clumps of low-growth bushes 
and gigantic oaks and hard-wood trees are scattered about. 
The view, looking out over the harbor, is very beautiful. 
The barracks, officers' quarters, cavalry-stables, hospital, 
and other military buildings, are scattered about the 
ground, and are all old, and have a neglected, dilapi- 
dated appearance. ISTo troops are permanently stationed 
here now ; but occasional detachments are sent here for 
a few months for sanitary benefit. A walk over these 
grounds is quite pleasant, and is one of the " proper 
things " for the visitor to do. 

Large tracts of land in the suburbs have been cleared 
of their pine-woods, laid out into long, wide avenues, 
and named after Northern States, the plots comprising 
ten or more acres each. Many of these lots have been 
sold, and the purchasers have evidently spent much 
money and time in improving them. The residences are 
unusually well built, tastefully ornamented, and brightly 
painted, while neat barns, out-houses, fences, sidewalks, 
and the civilized improvements usual in l^orthern pro- 
gressive communities, are everywhere seen — the reason, 
perhaps, being that the settlers are nearly all Northern 
people. In spite of all this labor, taste, and enterprise, 
however, there is a very noticeable number of vacant 
houses, showing signs of abandonment. 

The appearance of the greater portion of the soil 
in the vicinity of Tampa is sandy, with an unhealthy, 
ashy-gray color, that promises little for productiveness. 
There are occasional tracts of dark, rich soil, but these 
are scarce, and very seldom for sale. There is good soil 
in that region lying along the coast and on the islands, 
but in the immediate neighborhood of Tampa I think it 



TOUE OF THE STATE. 63 

is mostly poor, and nearly valueless for purposes of fruit 
or vegetable culture. 

The harbor contains numerous islands and is quite 
pretty. It is alive with fish and ducks. We found the 
Hon. To K. Spencer, of the " Sunland Tribune," and en- 
joyed an agreeable visit with him, looking about the 
place. The Peninsular Railroad, now in process of con- 
struction through the central region of Florida, will 
doubtless soon place Tampa in direct connection with the 
commercial centers of the East and North. This will 
greatly benefit it, besides opening up to settlement a 
large and at present nearly uninhabited region. 

It was a beautiful morning when we took our de- 
parture from Tampa, going aboard the little steamer 
that carried ns down the harbor to the handsome ocean- 
steamer Lizzie HendersoD, one of the fine line of Gulf- 
steamers (the "Henderson Line") that ply between New 
Orleans, Pensacola, St. Mark's, Cedar Keys, Key West, 
and Havana. The boats of this line are large, roomy, 
well equipped, and well supplied. The freight and pas- 
sengers were rapidly transferred from the roomy old 
lighter to the steamer, and we were soon steaming down 
the broad bay to Manatee, thirty miles distant on Man- 
atee River, which flows into the extreme southern por- 
tion of the bay. Immense flocks of ducks of several 
kinds, innumerable porpoises, and countless fish leaping 
out of the bright waters, v/ere constantly in sight. The 
watery pathway of certain shoals could be traced by the 
sight of hundreds of fish of the six-pound size leaping 
out of the water in a rapid, direct line. 

Late in the afternoon we passed up the broad river 
several miles to Manatee, where a short sto23 was made 
to take on cargo. There was no opportunity to visit 
the settlement, or to examine the soil thereabout, but 
the dwellings located along the banks of the river were 



64: FLORIDA. 

mostly roomy and neat-looking houses, and several gar- 
deners were at the wharf with vegetables of large va- 
riety and excellent quality. 

The sun was setting brilliantly as we passed out of 
the bay into the Gulf ; and the islands with their luxu- 
riant vegetation, the solitary, tall, white lighthouse, and 
the tropical-appearing bar on which it stands, the por- 
poises disporting in all directions, and the deep-blue wa- 
ters of the Gulf, all made a scene beautiful to behold and 
long to be remembered. 

At sunrise the next morning we were entering the 
lovely harbor of Cedar Keys, passing near a number of 
pretty islands, among them Atsenna Otie Island, where 
there is a large saw-mill and machine-shop owned by 
Faber Brothers, of New York, giving emploj^ment to a 
colony of thirty families, mostly Germans, engaged in 
cutting and prej^aring the cedar-wood for the famous 
Faber lead-pencils. At the wharves of the little seaport 
and railroad terminus we found five large steamers and 
numerous sailing-vessels, giving it quite an appearance of 
commercial enterprise. 

The Doctor, Professor J. N^. Comstock (entomologist 
of the Agricultural Bureau at Washington, whom we 
had met on the steamer), and I, enjoyed the day stroll- 
ing about the streets and limited suburbs, visiting the 
curious shell-mound — quite a hill, composed of sea-shells 
of all kinds, such as are found along that coast. It is 
the scientific suj)position that this strange mound was 
erected by a race of prehistoric dwellers in this region, 
who resorted here to feast on oysters, clams, etc. It 
offers a superb position on which to build a large winter 
hotel, for the scene in all directions, as viewed from that 
elevation, is beautiful, the whole harbor and the Gulf 
being visible. We met my old friend Major Parsons 
here, and had a very agreeable visit and a tramp about the 



TOUR OF THE STATE. 65 

town with him. His reminiscences of Cedar Keys, extend- 
ing back over a period of forty years since he first came 
here from the North, a clerk in the Quartermaster's De- 
partment of the United States Army, under old General 
Z. Taylor, are very interesting. In the afternoon, while 
the Doctor dozed. Professor Comstock and I went down 
to the beach, where the tide was out, and busied ourselves 
pulling out oysters from the great quantities that solidly 
line all the shores of the bay, and feasting ourselves to 
repletion on that luscious bivalve. 

Cedar Keys is a port of entry, and has several large 
mercantile establishments, all carrying extensive stocks, 
and evidently prosperous. Their patronage is derived 
from the settlers all along the coast and many goodly 
rivers that empty into the Gulf there. There is very 
little, if any, good land on the adjacent mainland. The 
trade is solely the result of its railroad and shipping ad- 
vantages. The buildings are mostly constructed of the 
substantial coquina -stone, and, with its main street (in 
fact, there is only one street in the place) paved with 
shells, all white mortary in appearance, it much resembles 
an old Spanish seaport. 

Early on the morning after our arrival, we were again 
on our travels — the final stage — seated in one of the 
handsome coaches of the Atlantic, Gulf and West India 
Transit Company Railroad, better known in its abbrevi- 
ated and more convenient form of the " Transit," that 
crosses the State from Cedar Keys to Fernandina. Gaines- 
ville, Waldo, Santa Fe, Starke, and Lawtey, all thrifty, 
busy, growing, enterprising places, of which accounts are 
given elsewhere, were passed. Waldo is an especially 
pretty place, and the inhabitants show much taste and 
care, of which they may well feel proud, and for which 
they deserve much credit. Near the depot is a neat lit- 
tle park, fenced nicely ; the grounds all about the pretty 



6Q FLORIDA. 

town are clean and grassy as a lawn ; also, near the de- 
pot is a band-stand of neat design, at the base of a ship- 
shape, mast-rigged flag- staff, the gift of a jolly old sea- 
captain resident. The dwellings, mostly of cottage style, 
are neat, tasty, trim, and clean, of generally good design, 
surrounded by lawns of grasses and_ flowers, gardens of 
fruits and vegetables, all showing - careful labor and at- 
tention. The soil thereabout is fertile, and the people 
are energetic and industrious. Waldo is a pretty S230t, a 
good place for either health-seekers or wealth-seekers. 

Early in the afternoon we reached Jacksonville, and 
the " Tour of Florida with Hon. Seth French, Commis- 
sioner of Immigration," was ended. 



CHAPTER lY. 

A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 

It was the middle of March, when Captain Samuel 
Fairbanks, Assistant Commissioner of Immigration, set 
out on an official pilgrimage through the northern sec- 
tion of the State, in search of information for the use of 
his bureau. The Captain was peculiarly well adapted for 
his official position, and especially to investigate this por- 
tion of the State, which had in all its parts become fa- 
miliar to him, through a residence of over forty years. 
He came originally from central New York, and there 
are many other people here from that favorite section of 
the Empire State. 

The writer accepted a cordial invitation to join Cap- 
tain Fairbanks on the proposed trip, and enjoyed a de- 
lightful time, for the Captain was a pleasant, entertain- 
ing traveling companion, full of interesting information, 
anecdotes, and reminiscences of the State and the people. 
The previously described journey in the other portions 
of the State had given me a fine opportunity to see the 
wilder and more remote regions, and the present trip 
gave me an opportunity to learn of the older and more 
populous sections. Our route lay through the counties of 
all the northern and western portions of the State, where, 
in the " piping times of peace," the ante-war days, the 
true era of Southern prosperity, the planters of Florida 
lived and flourished and waxed wealthy. In those days 



68 FLORIDA. 

Cotton was King, and the broad rolling acres of tlie vast 
plantations that covered the hills and beautiful valleys of 
the charming region were everywhere white with their 
great crops of the snowy staple. " Every acre meant an- 
other bale, and every bale meant another nigger," was 
the current saying in regard to it. This was always, from 
the days of its transfer to American rule, a favorite re- 
gion with the cotton-planters ; here were obtained the 
largest yields per acre, of the best quality (the famous 
sea-island variety), and the earliest in market. 

We left Jacksonville late one afternoon, by the Flor- 
ida Central Railroad, changing at Live Oak (the county, 
seat of Suwanee County) to the Jacksonville, Pensacola 
and Mobile Railroad. The early morning hours found us 
speeding through Ohio, Wisconsin, or central New York ; 
certainly, it was not Florida in appearance — hilly, with 
a rich, brown, clayey soil, solid roads, rocks, and fields of 
grass, just like the Northern States. Early in the fore- 
noon we arrived at Quincy, the county-seat of Gadsden 
County, and took the stage from the depot to the town, 
one and a half mile distant by a road which winds prettily 
over hills and through fine forests. 

Quincy is a quaint, old-fashioned town. Southern in 
appearance (not, however, of the dingy, miserable, " crack- 
er " style), a representative type of once-flourishing in- 
dustry. It has a large, park-like, well-fenced square, with 
the court-house standing in the center, one of the old 
Southern regulation kind of square four-roomed-on-two- 
floors buildings. Huge oaks and similar trees shade the 
park, and around it or adjacent to it are the " city " build- 
ings, jail, etc., with plain and rather faded brick stores, the 
usual number of oflices, pumps and water-trough, and the 
universal Southern hitching-rail on high posts, with al- 
ways a number of saddle mules and horses attached. Over 
all is an impalpable but unmistakable mantle of mildewy 



A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 69 

decay, of neglect rapidly verging on dilapidation. Such 
is the general appearance of the business portion of 
Quincy. 

The suburbs make an impression altogether more favor- 
able. The residences here are mostly large, well-built 
structures, with handsome house-grounds, gardens, lawns, 
out-houses, shade-trees, sidewalks, etc. — in all respects, ex- 
cept that of a few semi-tropical products, closely resem- 
bling the usual thrifty appearance of a steady, old, agri- 
cultural center in the North. The weather at the time of 
our visit was lovely (it was March 10th) ; fruits, flowers, 
and gardens of thrifty vegetables were everywhere visible ; 
the doors and windows stood wide open, verandas were 
occupied, croquet-parties dotted the lawns ; and " The 
Pirates of Penzance," and other latest music, was every- 
where heard floating through the open windows, from the 
keys of skillfully played pianos. At the handsome resi- 
dence of Postmaster Davidson, we were shown some of 
the finest specimens of the exquisitely beautiful, golden- 
hued, feathery pampas-grass that I ever saw, and it grows 
in many other gardens thereabout. 

The views across the country in all directions are fine, 
ranging over broad fields, hills, valleys, hard- wood forests, 
orchards, good fences, and roomy residences — in all a 
beautiful region exhibiting unmistakable signs of agricult- 
iiral prosperity. Nowhere does live-stock grow better. 
In the near future, when the old (but worthy) class of 
men and women shall have passed away with their ante- 
helium ideas of business, crops, social " ranks," educa- 
tion, slave-labor, and their bitter memories of the war, 
with its defeated hopes and its "lost cause" — when this 
race, with such memories in their hearts, shall be gone, 
and the young generation of their offspring, filled, with 
new ideas, new aspirations, new hopes, shall be in full 
control, then, I believe, Quincy and all the other towns 



■70 



FLORIDA, 



of that fair, fertile region will be among the pleasantest 
garden-spots in all America. At present the goodly people 
are " brooding upon memories." 

Chattahoochee, the present terminus of the Jackson- 
ville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad, is merely a little 
hamlet on the Chattahoochee River, close to the Alabama 
line, and has stage connection with Marianna, the county- 




ViEW ON THE Escambia Kiver, neak Pensacola. 



seat of Jackson County, another of those old-style, quiet 
inland towns, a description of one of which answers for 
all. The State Insane Asylum is located at Chattahoo- 
chee, a roomy old structure, clean, and having an air of 
comfort and adaptation to its purpose, and containing 
about thirty inmates. The river, in that region, is quite 
a large, respectable stream, the outlet of an extensive back 



A TRIP TB ROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 71 

country — once the water-way of an immense traffic — to 
the Gulf-port of Appalachicola. The scenery thereabout 
is very fine, and the atmosphere noticeably soft and 
clear. This is attributed to the fact that it is due north 
of the Gulf, and is always tempered by the famous 
" Gulf-breezes." 

From Marianna, a long ride by stage-coach brought 
us to Pensacola. The ride was tedious and fatiguing, 
but not really monotonous, for the scenery was very at- 
tractive, except in occasional tracts. Yernon, Euchee 
Anna, and Milton, passed en route, are all three county- 
seats, and are small, drowsy-looking towns, old-fashioned, 
and in all respects typical specimens of the better class 
of representative Southern county-seats. A square, an 
old-fashioned tavern, a court-house, and a few shops, may 
be said to compose each and all of them. 

On every side, in all that region, including Gadsden 
and adjoining counties, were seen large old plantations, 
and roomy, old. Southern-style planters' residences, giving 
evidence of a long-settled region, that had suddenly been 
arrested in its growth, and was in a state of suspended 
animation. Yet it is a good country, and has, in fact, a 
steady growth, though it is of a kind not strikingly per- 
ceptible, being in crops and j)i'oducts, instead of houses, 
factories, and such town improvements, that arc more 
likely to catch the attention. 

The great, crying need of all that portion of the State 
is a railroad, and the series of causes that have pre- 
vented the completion of the Jacksonville, Pensacola and 
Mobile Railroad are disgraceful to all concerned. All 
the parties — the moneyed cliques, railroad-wreckers, law- 
yers, and agents — that have for years defeated the con- 
struction of that road across this fine region to its natu- 
ral terminus at Pensacola, deserve the honest execrations 
of all who reside there ; for they have greatly damaged 
4 



72 



FLORIDA. 



and retarded the growth and prosperity of what ought 
to be one of the most flourishing sections of Florida.* 

Pensacola is a charming city, clean, nicely laid out. 




Stkeet-Scene in Pensacola, 

with great shade-trees, handsome homes, the houses gen- 
erally of good architectural taste, with pretty lawns, ar- 
bors, gardens, etc. The navy-yard and fortifications, with 
their garrisons and official staffs of both branches of the 
service, give it an animated appearance ; and the officers 
and their families contribute very much to the high repu- 
tation for culture and refinement enjoyed by the society 
there. The city has a large commerce, and is one of the 
most important lumber-shipping ports in the United States. 
In respect to attractions for tourists and visitors, Pen- 
sacola is one of the most important places in Florida ; and, 

* Since the above was written, the courts have, after many years of 
tedious and costly litigation, awarded the railroad to its rightful owners, 
the Dutch company, who, it is understood, will at once complete the line 
across the State as originally contemplated. 



A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 



Y3 



instead of attempting a detailed description of my own, I 
will quote the following passages from a well-written and 
tastefully printed local hand-book : 

" The splendid Bay of Pensacola, unrivaled for its beau- 
ty, depth, and security, was discovered by Pamfilo de Nar- 
vaez, in 1525. Various adventurers gave it different names, 
as Fort de Ancluse and St. Mary's Bay, but that of Pensa- 
cola, which prevailed, was the true name among the Ind- 




ViEW OF Bay fkom Shot Pauk, Navy-Yakd. 



ians, the natives of the country. The first settlement was 
made by the Spaniards, in 1686. The first Governor was 
Andre Arivola, who constructed a small fort, called San 
Carlos, and erected a church upon the present site of Fort 
Barrancas. The French took Pensacola in 1719 ; the Span- 
iards retook it, and the French again took it in the same 



7J: FLORIDA. 

year and kept it until 1722, when it was restored to Spain. 
In the mean time, Pensacola had been removed to the west 
end of Santa Rosa Island, near the present site of Fort 
Pickens, where the Spaniards constructed a fort, which af- 
terward was improved by the English General Haldemand. 
The settlement remained on the island until 1754, when, the 
town being partly inundated, the site was removed to the 
magnificent location which it now occuj^ies. Pensacola was 
ceded to the English in 1763, by whom it was laid oif in 
regular form in 1765. The town surrendered to the Span- 
ish arms in 1781. On the 7th of ISTovember, 1814, General 
Andrew Jackson, with the American army, entered the 
town, when the English fleet in the bay destroyed the forts, 
San Carlos (at Barrancas) and Santa Rosa. 

"By consulting the map of Pensacola and its surround- 
ings, the reader will observe the network of water-courses, 
bays, and bayous centering at that city. The water is clear, 
bright, and beautiful. Surf -bathing upon Santa Rosa beach, 
as enjoyable as language can express, the salt-water bathing 
in the bath-houses of the bay, and bathing in fresh water 
as clear as crystal, can all be had within a distance of seven 
miles. The Perdido Bay is one of the loveliest sheets of 
water in the State, rivaled by the Escambia Bay, with its 
bluffs and ever-moving fleets. Any attempt to particular- 
ize becomes confusing, as tbe special beauties and attrac- 
tions of the different bays and bayous are remembered. 
Escambia River is the ' Ocklawaha ' of West Florida. The 
stranger who wishes to enjoy a short trip will be pleased 
as the steamer plows through the broad, placid waters of 
Escambia Bay, and then delighted with the luxuriance of 
the tropical growth as the vessel winds its way up the nar- 
row and tortuous channel of Escambia River to Molino. 
At this point the excursionist can take the train and return 
by rail to Pensacola. 

" The fresh-water fishing is superb. The waters liter- 
ally swarm with all kinds of fish, notably trout, black bass, 
and pike. All varieties of perch abound, including a spe- 
cial kind, a very game fish, called bream. It is not unusual 
for a good angler to pull out fifty to sixty of -these fish in 
an hour, weighing from a half to one pound. Both in salt 
and fresh water, fishing is carried on with pleasure and 
profit the entire year. In the bay and bayous every descrip- 



A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. Y5 

tion of salt-water fish abounds, and, in the season, fifty cents 
will purchase half a dozen Spanish mackerel of the size for 
which the epicure pays seventy -five cents for one half in the 




Specimens of Pensacola Fish 

restaurants of I^ew York City. These fish, and the salt- 
water trout, give special excitement to those who love a 
contest with a very game fish. No one can claim to have 
seen what fishing is until he has visited the snapper banks 
oif Santa Rosa Island. There the famous red snapper can 
be caught, two at a time, weighing from five pounds to 
sixty, as rapidly as the line is thrown in. The limit to the 
quantity catchable is commensurate with the physical en- 
durance of the catcher. 

"The pleasure of boating at Pensacola is not confined 
to 'fishing or idly rolling on the mighty wave, or smoothly 
plowing the j^lacid waters ; but added to these charms are 
the numerous places in the vicinity to go to. The stranger 



76 



FLORIDA. 



who may visit it will not wonder at finding first on this list 
Santa Rosa Island. Upon its beach, mid-day, in its over- 
flowing brilliancy, makes the beholder feel as if, according 
to Milton, ' another morn had risen on mid-noon.' The 
sunset comes with a splendor and glory unknown to more 
northern climes. . . . Santa Rosa Island is a sand-key of 
the Gulf, forty miles long, and varying in breadth from a 




lluiNS OF Fort McKae, with Foet Pickens in the Distance. 



fifth of a mile to over a mile across ; it is the breakwater 
of Pensacola Harbor, and receives the shock of the rolling 
seas of the Gulf of Mexico, which often break against it in 
fury, while the waters of the bay within are still as a mill- 
pond, and scarce a ripple washes the beach of the city front, 
seven miles away, though the water at the city is as salt as 
that in the center of the Gulf. The sea-beach of the island 
is a gently sloping expanse of white sand, back and forth 



A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 



77 



on which the advancing and receding waves will glide for 
hundreds of feet. You can stand where no water is one 
moment, and the next be struggling waist-deej) against a 
surging wave that is climbing up the strand. This beach 
is the incubator of the great turtles of the Gulf. Its grad- 
ual incline, the easily excavated sand beyond, and the warm 
southern exposure, adapt it to their approach, the making 
of nests, and hatching of their eggs. So they resort to it 
for this purpose, and in due time the young turtles are 
hatched, unless the eggs are captured by the various creat- 
ures, biped and quadruped, who seek them in the season. 
From Pensacola over to the island is about seven miles, 
and as the land-breeze of the night sets fair across the bay, 
it is a pleasant trip of moonlight nights to run over on a 
sail-boat, land on the bay-shore, walk across the island. 




which is not a third of a mile 
wide opposite the city, and 
seek for ' turtle-crawls ' on the 
Gulf-beach, or bathe luxuri- 
ously in the surf. The ' crawl ' 
shows on the sand where the under-shell has been dragged 
along, and, folio w^ing this up to a point above the wash of 
the highest waves, the nest is found, usually about two and 
a half feet below the surface. A single nest will contain 



78 FLORIDA. 

from one hundred to tliree hundred eggs. At Sabine Pass, 
on Santa Rosa Island, alligators are found by the ten thou- 
sand, and are killed in large numbers by hunters who fre- 
quent the place. 

" While on the island, very few visitors fail to find an 
interest in collecting shells and sea-beans. Then comes a 
visit to Fort Pickens. This grand and historic old edifice, 
though denuded .of a portion of the iron dogs of war that 
used to bay, not ' deep-mouthed welcome home,' but roars 
of defiance, still possesses a multitude of pleasant and in- 
teresting sights and objects that make a visit there both 
profitable and agreeable. Across the bay is the navy-yard, 
and just west of the navy-yard is Fort Barrancas. Both 
are beautiful, and will interest the most indifferent. Added 
to the novelties to be seen is the delightful society enjoyed 
by all who know the hospitable and intelligent officers of 
both the garrisons. Below Barrancas is the Pensacola 
Lighthouse." 

An interesting and agreeable route from Pensacola to 
Tallahassee is via one of the popular Henderson line of 
steamers to St. Mark's, and thence by the railroad. The 
pleasures of a Gulf trij) are detailed at length in another 
chapter. St. Mark's is a very ancient port, one of the set- 
tlements made by the original Spanish explorers of Flor- 
ida. Shortly after its settlement a large stone fort and 
pier were built ; but they were long ago permitted to de- 
cay, and were finally destroyed by the settlers desiring the 
cut rock for their own uses. It is now a deserted village, 
only two or three small and unpretentious buildings mark- 
ing this famous spot, romantic in historical events, beauti- 
ful in scenery, and once a busy mart, the second seaport 
in all the United States to boast of a railroad terminus. 
From here to Tallahassee, twenty-one miles distant, runs a 
railroad, built in 1835-'36. This was, in its early days, a 
very busy little road, the outlet of all the productive cot- 
ton region lying inland. At that time the planters lived in 
princely style, fairly rolling in wealth ; for those were the 



A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 79 

halcyon days of the slave -owning cotton-planters, and this 
was their paradise. The road is now almost disused, 
trains only passing over it twice a week, on " steamer- 
day," connecting with the weekly Henderson steamers. 

Tallahassee, the capital of the State, "the floral city of 
the flowery South," is one of the loveliest places in all 
America, It is built upon the broad, gently rolling sur- 
face of a high hill, surrounded on all sides by other lovely 
hills and deep valleys, for it is in a region of hills, valleys, 
and lakes. It is laid out in squares, with Main Street — 
which is its principal business street — lined mostly on one 
side with j^lain, old-fashioned brick stores for a distance of 
four blocks. This street is fairly level and wide. All the 
other streets are charmingly irregular and uneven — in fact, 
many are quite declivitous — and are lined with grand, old, 
mammoth-sized magnolias, oaks, maples, elms, and other 
magnificent shade-trees. Broad, roomy, open squares are 
frequent, all shady, park-like, and inviting. 

At one end of the city stands the State-House, a large 
and very plain brick structure, painted a light color, with a 
front and rear portico, having each six great two-story col- 
uQins. It stands in a spacious square on the crest of the 
hill, and can be seen from a long distance. The grounds 
are laid out with winding paths and lawns, shaded by 
many grand old magnolias, oaks, and the like, and the air 
is redolent with perfume from the many flowers always 
blooming there. 

It is an unpretentious old city, with an air of village- 
like rustic simplicity ; no factories (except one cotton- 
mill) ; all is quiet, country life. The residence avenues 
are mostly lined with cozy little cottages, and comfortable, 
roomy, substantial mansions^ of the good old-time style of 
architecture, and all are surrounded by neatly fenced lawns 
and gardens, almost all having quite ample grounds, well 
kept — and flowers, flowers, flowers ! Everywhere in the 



80 FLORIDA. 

greatest abundance are flowers. A most creditable pride 
in their lovely home-grounds is exhibited by the citizens, 
who seem to have a friendly rivalry in this beautiful orna- 
ment of nature, that is expressive of culture and a fine taste 
for the beautif 111. Tallahassee is truly a " floral " city. 

The suburbs are everywhere lovely, and the views 
from the streets or house-tops — especially the roof of the 
State-House — are exceedingly fine. The surrounding coun- 
try is a vast range of hills, valleys, brooks, lakes, park- 
like clusters of large trees, broad, well-cultivated fields, 
large plantation dwellings and cotton-gins, and distant 
forests — in all, a remarkably beautiful natural panorama 
of nature, such as is seen nowhere else m Florida. 

Here we remained several delightful days at the quaint, 
old, tavern-like " City Hotel," enjoying numerous drives 
about the surrounding country. One beautiful day I rode 
out to " Goodwood," the grand old estate of Major Arvah 
Hopkins, several miles out of town. This residence was 
well worth visiting, because it affords a striking evi- 
dence of how elegantly the old-time planters enjoyed 
life. Erected in 1844, it comprises numerous buildings 
ranged around a large square in the rear, used for laun- 
dry, cook-house, milk-house, saddle and harness house, 
etc., etc. ; and the spacious surrounding grounds are 
laid out in park-like style, with paths, lawns, and innu- 
merable strange plants, ferns, and flowers. Another day 
a party of us went on a trip to Lake Jackson, a large 
and long lake, six miles from the city. It closely re- 
sembles Cayuga Lake in New York, surrounded by high 
bluffs, all cleared, and everywhere the broad fields reach- 
ing down to the water's edge. 

Captain C. E. L)yke, our escort on this tri]^, and in 
whose company I enjoyed many other rides and trips, 
besides evenings at his elegant home, is one of the most 
notable residents of Florida. A native of New Hamp- 



A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 81 

sliire, where he long ago learned the j)rinter's trade, he 
came to this State in 1839, and at once found a "job" 
in the office of " The Floridian," established in 1828. 
In 1847 he had worked his way up from the case to the 
editorial chair, and in that year assumed control of the 
paper, which he has ever since so ably conducted, with- 
out a single failure to "go to press" regularly each week 
in all that long period of time. Besides being the Nes- 
tor of Florida editors, he has for many years been State's 
printer ; and his office, close by the State-House, is a 
favorite consultation-room for all State officials, who, as 
a rale, have always placed implicit confidence in his 
opinions and advice. He is undoubtedly the best in- 
formed upon all matters, political and legal, pertaining 
to Florida, as a Territory and as a State, of any one 
living. For upward of forty years he has been the in- 
timate friend, confidant, or adviser of nearly all public 
officials. Knowing all the secret and unwritten history 
of the State, his stock of historical and personal remi- 
niscences is very great, and, if " written up," would make 
a volume at once interesting and instructive. 

One of the pleasantest resorts in the capital at the 
time of our visit was the official apartments of Governor 
W. H. Bloxham, then Secretary of State. An unusually 
genial, oif-hand, sociable gentleman, utterly free from 
ostentation, he is the favorite of all the State officials, 
and of a large circle of life-long, intimate friends. Gov- 
ernor Bloxham is a native of Florida, and is the first 
gentleman elected to that position who has been able to 
boast of such a distinction. He was born very nearly 
within sight of the capital, wdiere he now sits as Gov- 
ernor ; and his comfortable old home near the city, stand- 
ing in the midst of an immense plantation of several hun- 
dred carefully cleared and cultivated acres, is one of the 
genuine, old-style cotton-plantations of the most hospita- 



82 FLORIDA. 

ble sort. In the electoral campaign of 1880 he was chosen 
Governor, and it was unquestionably a good choice, for he 
is heart and hand in favor of any and all proper efforts to 
aid the cause of education, of immigration, and develop- 
ment of the State by railroads and similar improvements. 
He is, in particular, a warm friend of the public-school sys- 
tem, and greatly admires the Northern and Western States 
for their earnest efforts in this cause. He also believes in 
extending liberal aid to immigration, hoping to see Flor- 
ida the home of at least one million people, and covered 
with a network of railroads and canals. A stanch Demo- 
crat, he is not a " Bourbon," but is one who did not believe 
in the initial secession movement, and is heartily satisfied 
with the result. So far as he can control or influence the 
peculiarly retrogressive elements that as yet exert much 
influence in the political councils of this State, all may 
be sure that the rights and interests of new-comers will 
be protected. 

An exceedingly pleasant circle of gentlemen to be met 
in Tallahassee are Chief-Justice E. M. Randall and his 
Associate Justices, R. B. Van Yalkenburg and T. D. 
Wescott, of the Supreme Court ; also Mr. Charles H. 
Foster, their Clerk. Judge Randall is from Milwaukee, 
has lived here many years, and has an elegant home in 
Jacksonville. Judge Van Valkenburg is from western 
New York, was a distinguished General in the Union 
army, and Minister to Japan. He is also a long-time 
resident here, is warmly attached to the State, and owns 
a very fine estate on the St. John's River just opposite 
Jacksonville. Judge Wescott is a resident of Tallahassee, 
where he dispenses an elegant hospitality." These gentle- 
men are profoundly respected by all, irrespective of polit- 
ical creeds, and are of great benefit to the State as an 
encouragement to immigration. They are an unimpeach- 
able guarantee that life and property are and shall be 



A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 83 

safe in this State, and that lawless desperadoisni of the 
semi-political character — the "Mississippi plan" — will not 
be permitted or tolerated. The fact that these Northern- 
born gentlemen are members of the Supreme Court of 
the State is a greater aid to the cause of immigration 
than may be supposed, even by the most observing and 
best-disposed native resident. 

Near the city stands the famous Murat estate, once 
the property of Prince Achille Murat, brother-in-law of 
the first Napoleon, members of whose family are buried 
in the beautiful city cemetery. The estate is finely lo- 
cated, and the building-site is unsurpassed, but the house 
now standing upon it is quite plain and unpretentious. 
Another local "lion" is the noted Wakulla Spring, which 
I reached by a pleasant drive of sixteen miles. The 
spring lies in a rather flat, uninteresting, pine-wooded 
region, near several cultivated cotton-plantations. It is 
nearly circular in shape, about four hundred feet in di- 
ameter, and the shores are densely wooded to the Avater's 
edge. A rude landing has been constructed, and an old 
darkey is always present with his boat to row the visitor 
about the glassily smooth surface of the pond. The sides 
are very nearly perpendicular, and are composed of smooth 
and solid rock. Sixty-six feet below the surface of the 
water is the first or upper level, a broad, shelving surface 
of clean rock ; and through this is a large, irregularly cir- 
cular opening apparently about one hundred feet in diame- 
ter, through which can be seen the lower level or bottom 
of this w^onderful spring, a total depth of one hundred 
and nine feet. The rock that forms the upper level is 
evidently not very thick, for in one place there is a per- 
fectly round opening about three feet in diameter, through 
which can be plainly seen the second bottom, fifty-five feet 
farther below. It is a great, thin fringe of rock, like a 
crust, with a vast opening a little to one side of its center. 



84 FLORIDA. 

The water is so marvelously blue that indigo would 
look pale in comj)arison with it, and so clear that small 
gravel and bits of tin one inch square could all be seen 
plainly on the bottom. Countless fish, some quite large 
and some very small, could also be seen lazily floating 
about in the distant depths. While the water is blue, the 
rocks are of the most intensely brilliant green, over which 
occasional phosphorescent flashes of shimmering light play 
fitfully, producing a weird and phantasmal eft'ect. There 
is neither a ripple nor a motion observable in the water, 
yet here is a stream that comes pouring up from the bow- 
els of the earth and forms a river (the Wakulla River) 
sixty feet wide and four feet deep. 

This is the spring that Ponce de Leon, the Spanish 
adventurer and discoverer, romantically supposed to be 
the long-sought "Fountain of Youth." He and his super- 
stitious soldiers seem to have completely misunderstood 
their interpreters or the Indians, who probably meant to 
convey the information that it was a spring of clear, 
healthy water, that had a beneficial effect upon the bather 
therein. He and his followers, being where St. Mark's 
now stands, sought out the Wakulla River and followed 
it up to this spring, into which they eagerly plunged. 
It need hardly be said that they came out cleaner, but no 
younger ; and the lives of many innocent savages were 
at once sacrificed to appease their disappointed anger. 
They found, or could see on the distant bottom, the 
skeletons of two gigantic mastodons, their flesh all gone, 
but their bare bones perfect and white, their great curl- 
ing tusks interlocked, evidently fallen in and drowned 
while engaged in a terrific combat on the brink. There 
the bones lay until, in 1835, Professor King, of Phila- 
delphia, engaged several men, some of whom are now 
living in Tallahassee, to recover them. This was success- 
fully accomplished, and they were shipped on board a 



A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 85 

schooner, to be placed in the museum in Philadelphia ; 
but, unfortunately, the vessel was lost at sea, in a gale 
off Cape Hatteras, and these interesting skeletons were 
finally lost for ever. 

Returning home from our visit to this romantic spring, 
our party visited another smaller but very interesting 
spring, and also examined a number of the many mys- 
terious " sinks " that are found in that Wakulla region. 
These sinks are mostly circular in form, about fifty feet 
in diameter and fifty to one hundred and fifty feet deep, 
with smooth sides, like great wells, only they are dry, 
or have but little water in their deep bottoms, while large 
lakes or rivers may be but a few hundred feet distant, 
with their waters nearly level with the surface of the 
ground. The wonder is, how there can be such a dif- 
ference between the levels of the waters in the lake and 
in the sink ; how the water of the lake fails to get into 
the sink, and where the waters of the sink come from 
and go to. These sinks are found in all portions of Flor- 
ida, and are a remarkable and characteristic feature of the 
peninsula. 

In Wakulla County is a vast jungle of trees, vines, 
water, and marsh, that has never yet been fully explored. 
Neither the United States nor the State Government has 
ever attempted to survey it (in fact, there has never been 
a geological survey of this State). Several adventurous 
gentlemen in Tallahassee have, on various occasions, at- 
tempted to penetrate its depths, but found it impossible 
except at much expense. As far as they penetrated, they 
found a strange country of volcanic appearance. Every- 
where were seen great masses of rocks, often an acre in 
extent, all cracked and ragged as if upheaved from a 
great depth. Traces of gold, lead, copper, silver, and iron 
are said to haA^e been discovered ; and abundant traces 
of petroleum are found there, and in numerous other lo- 



86 FLORIDA. 

calities in that region. It is in this impenetrable jungle 
that the famous " Florida volcano " is supposed to ex- 
ist, for a column of light, hazy smoke or vapor may be 
(and has been for years) seen rising from some portion 
of it, and provokes the conundrum, " What is it ? " 

Among other strange freaks of nature in that region 
is Lost Creek, where a large stream suddenly ends, evi- 
dently plunging downward into the earth, in an abyss 
that is bottomless. Also the Natural Bridge across St. 
Mark's River, about seventy feet in width and the same 
in span, over which people pass. A volume could be 
written about the natural curiosities of Florida that 
would be deeply interesting and of scientific value. A 
thorough scientific survey of this State should be ordered 
by the State authorities ; but, with the present class of 
able tax-reducers, it is a futile hope to expect any such 
measure to be authorized. 

The people of Tallahassee have a beautiful custom of 
holding a fair, early each spring, that probably differs 
from anything ii\ the way of the fair exhibitions held 
elsewhere in the South. It is a floral fair, held at their 
spacious fair-grounds, open to all, but of course nearly 
or quite all the exhibits are made by the Tallahasseeans. 
The exhibits are vegetables, fruits, and flowers, especially 
flowers. As might be conjectured, the managers, exhibit- 
ors, and patrons generally, are the ladies, who take great 
interest and pride in this exhibition, so distinctively local, 
so pleasant, and so indicative of refined taste and cult- 
ure. I attended the fair of 1880, held in March. Floral 
Hall was a beautiful sight, with a profuse display of 
flowers, of all varieties, kinds, forms, colors, and perfumes, 
all artistically arranged and exhibited to the best advan- 
tage. 

Nowhere, it may be said in conclusion, is there a 
more refined and cultured society than in Tallahassee. 



A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 87 

Among them ar© many descendants of the most promi- 
nent and aristocratic old families of America, with names 
that recall old colonial, Revolutionary, and 1812 days in 
the battle-fields and in State councils ; and their large, 
well-attended schools, numerous, handsome churches, beau- 
tiful homes and surroundings, all attest to the high stand- 
ard of the best society of Tallahassee. 

From Tallahassee to Jacksonville the traveler passes 
over the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile to Live 
Oak, and thence via the Savannah, Florida and West- 
ern Railroad. The other important towns in this section, 
besides those mentioned, may be briefly dealt with. 

Monticello, in Jefferson County, thirty-three miles east 
of Tallahassee, is the terminus of a branch railroad about 
five miles long, and is a flourishing town of some two 
thousand inhabitants. It contains two hotels, good schools, 
a weekly newspaper, and churches of the several denomi- 
nations, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Bap- 
tist. The climate is almost identical with that of Talla- 
hassee, and the adjacent country is very similar in appear- 
ance to that which surrounds the capital. ISTear Monticello 
is the Lipona plantation, where Murat resided for some 
time while in Florida ; and in the vicinity is Lake Mic- 
cosukee, whose banks figure in history as the camping- 
ground of De Soto, and as the scene of a bloody battle 
between General Jackson and the Miccosukee Indians. 

Madison is a pretty town of about eight hundred in- 
habitants, situated on the raihvay, fifty-five miles east of 
Tallahassee. It is the capital of Madison County, is built 
on a plain near a small lake, and contains Presbyterian, 
Baptist, and Methodist churches. The Suwanee River is 
near by, and in the county are Lakes Rachel, Francis, 
Mary, and Cherry. 

Live Oak, the county-seat of Suwanee County, is at 
the junction of the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile 



88 FLORIDA. 

and the Savannah, Florida and Western Railways, and is 
the half-way point between Tallahassee and Jacksonville. 
The surrounding country is pine-woods with sandy soil, 
which looks poor, but which, with a little manure and 
good cultivation, produces excellent crops. There are a 
number of market-gardens in the vicinity, and great quan- 
tities of vegetables are shipped from this point to North- 
ern markets. The town spreads over a good deal of 
ground, and contains about eight hundred inhabitants. 
A live weekly newspapei', "The Bulletin," is published 
here, the schools are good, and there are churches of 
several denominations, with some respectable store-build- 
ings and a number of pleasant residences. Five miles 
south of the town (connected with it by a "tram-road," 
or wooden railway) is Padlock, and four miles north is 
the little village of Rixford. 

Houston lies six miles east of Live Oak, on the rail- 
road, and is surrounded by a good farming country. Near 
the town are some fine springs, and in the vicinity are sev- 
eral beautiful lakes containing an abundance of excellent 
fish. Wellborn, twelve miles east of Live Oak, is a much 
larger place, and among its population are a number of 
settlers who have come thither from Indiana, Illinois, and 
Iowa. There are some fine hammock-lands near the town, 
and in the neighborhood are Lake Wellborn and other 
lakes teeming with fish. Only eight miles away are the 
famous Suwanee White Sulphur Springs, attractively situ- 
ated on the banks of the Suwanee River. 

Lake City, the most important place in this region, 
is on the railroad about fifty miles west of Jacksonville. 
It is a prosperous and substantially built town of some 
twenty-five hundred inhabitants, with a number of brick 
stores, well-kept hotels, seven or eight churches, good 
schools, tasteful private residences, and a large trade in 
vegetables and other products of the surrounding coun- 



A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 89 

try, including lumber and turpentine. Its climate, being 
drier tban that of Jacksonville, is thought to be more fa- 
vorable to those consumptives who are in advanced stages 
of the disease, and the place is a favorite winter retreat 
for such invalids. Lakes almost surround the town, hence 
its name. Three miles south is Alligator Lake, which has 
no visible outlet. In the wet season it is three or four 
miles across, but in winter it retires into a deep sink- 
hole, and the former bottom is transformed into a grassy 
meadow. 

The following description of Suwanee County is from 
a letter written by Mr. N. C. Rippey to the Tallahassee 
"Floridian." We quote it because it is applicable to 
all this portion of the State, and contains information 
of value to immigrants : 

" The county lies in a big bend of the Suwanee River, 
or at least the river forms the boundary-line on three sides. 
There is a high ridge extending across the county east and 
west, or nearly so, near the center north and south, some 
four miles or so in width. It is covered with the finest 
growth of pine-timber in the county. In it is an abundance 
of stone, in ledges and in bowlders. It is of a gray color, 
very soft ; can be easily cut with a knife or saw, and, on 
being exposed to the air for some time, it becomes as hard 
and durable as granite, and makes a very fine material for 
building purposes. 

" The country north of the ridge is pine-woods with sandy 
soil. Here and there are to be found tracts of hammock- 
lands, varying in size from a few acres to several hundred. 
These lands contain a rich, loamy soil, and a great variety 
of excellent hard - wood timber, suitable for all kinds of 
building and manufacturing purposes. There are a number 
of beautiful lakes scattered over the country, containing an 
abundance of excellent fish. There are numerous springs, 
some of them white sulphur, famed for their medical vir- 
tues. There are branches or creeks gushing out of the 
earth, and after flowing a few miles entirely disappear. 
The country south of ' The Ridge ' is more rolling and fer- 



90 ^ FLORIDA. 

tile, and is underlaid witli limestone that frequently conies 
within a few inches of the surface. There are no lakes or 
streams of running water. There are a great number of 
natural wells that appear as though they were cut by 
the hand of man through solid rock ; they are round, or 
nearly so, varying in size from a few inches to forty feet 
or more in diameter, and from a few feet to forty or 
more to the edge of the water ; fish are frequently found 
in the largest ; the water is clear and cool. There are 
a number of caves of considerable size, but they have nev- 
er been explored to see how far they extend under the 
earth. 

"The pine-lands produce about fifteen bushels of corn 
per acre. A little manure and good cultivation will yield 
more than double that ; cotton, about a bale to two acres, 
sometimes three ; upland rice, from forty to sixty bushels 
per acre ; oats and rye are raised in considerable quantities, 
but I was unable to learn the yield per acre ; sugar-cane 
does well, and is a very profitable crop ; a great variety of 
fine vegetables are raised and shipped to Northern markets ; 
there are a number of small vineyards in the county, and 
some excellent wine is made from the grapes ; there are 
quite a number of small orange-groves, and, strange to say, 
they are nearly all planted by the hands of women ; it is a 
fine country for peaches and pears. The people are just 
beginning to find out what a great variety of fruits and 
vegetables they can raise, and everybody seems determined 
to have an orchard of all kinds of fruit. ' Turpentining ' 
has become quite an industry, and there are several large 
turpentine farms in the county that are reported to be very 
profitable. 

" The Suwanee River is navigable for small steamboats 
to the crossing of the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile 
Railroad, and for large steamers to Rowland's Bluff, near 
the southeast corner of the county. The river frequently 
has rocky bluffs and bottoms, and many fine springs are to 
be seen along the banks, and some rich lands. 

" The population of the county in 1880 was 7,379, of 
which 4,166 were white and 3,213 were black. Judging 
from the number of immigrants that have gone into the 
county this past fall and winter, the white population must 
now be about five thousand." 



A TRIP THROUGH NORTH FLORIDA. 91 

Dr. D. G. Brinton says : " The climate of tbis part of 
Florida is dry and equable. Many invalids would find it 
a very pleasant and beneficial change from the seacoast or 
the river-side, and immigrants would do well to visit it. 
Game and fish are abundant, and the sportsman need never 
be at a loss for occupation." 



CHAPTER Y. 

JACKSONVILLE, FERNANDINA, AND ST. AUGUSTINE. 

Jacksonville, the commercial metropolis and social 
center of the State, is likely to be the first point at which 
the visitor to Florida will make anything of a stay — the 
place where he will get his first impressions of the "Land 
of Flowers." It is a handsome and prosperous-looking city, 
covering a good deal of ground, and, particularly during 
the winter season, when all the hotels are thrown open to 
the thronging guests, it presents an animated and pictu- 
resque appearance that is quite exceptional at the South. 
The streets are remarkably wide, and are nearly all shaded 
by long rows of mammoth live-oaks, forming arcades of 
embowering green in winter as well as in summer. Good 
sidewalks of brick' or planks contribute greatly to the 
comfort of pedestrians, but the streets themselves are too 
sandy for raj)id or pleasant driving, and are " heavy " for 
all vehicles. 

Bay Street is the principal business thoroughfare, and 
runs parallel to and one block distant from the river. For 
a distance of about a mile it- is lined on both sides with 
stores, offices, and other mercantile buildings, including 
several of the leading hotels. The Astor Building, at the 
corner of Bay and Hogan Streets, is the finest in the city, 
and in it, besides several stores and a number of offices, 
is the United States Signal-Service station. Horse-cars, 
connecting the railroad-depots, run along Bay Street, up 



JACKSONVILLE. 



93 



Catherine to Duval Street to the St. James Hotel, down 
Hogan Street and back to the starting-point, making a 
very convenient circuit. On the river at the foot of Ocean 




Street-Scene in Jacksonville 



Street is a fine public market, and there is a smaller one up- 
town at the corner of Hogan and Church Streets. Many 
of the shops make a specialty of "Florida curiosities" (the 
majority of them manufactured in New York), and con- 



94: FLORIDA. 

nected with that of Damon Greenleaf, on Bay Street, is a 
" Museumenagerie," which will prove interesting to vis- 
itors, and the admission to which is free. 

There is in the city a quite remarkable number of hand- 
some residences, and with very few exceptions they are 
surrounded by ample grounds laid out in tasteful gardens 
and lawns. Sometimes these gardens are perfect little 
parks, and the fruits, flowers, and shrubs all indicate a 
semi-tropical region. The society of Jacksonville is uni- 
versally admitted to be unusually select, cultured, and re- 
fined ; and the reasons are not far to seek. Many of the 
most prominent citizens have been drawn thither from all 
parts of the country on account of its climatic advantages, 
and are in general the picked men of their several locali- 
ties. At any gathering of the best society there will be 
found gentlemen who have occupied high positions in all 
portions of the United States, and in nearly all professions 
and occuj^ations — in the army, the navy, the judicial, the 
political, literary, artistic, and commercial world. As ex- 
amples, I may mention that General Spinner, he of the 
famous greenback autograph, owns a beautiful home here, 
whither he has retired to enjoy the well-deserved comforts 
of an honored old age ; and that Judge Thomas Settle, of 
the United States Circuit Court, the original of Judge 
Denton in " The Fool's Errand," has another fine residence. 
During the winter season the great hotels (the St. James, 
the Windsor, the Carleton, the National, etc.) are thronged 
with wealthy tourists from all parts of the world, and the 
place has then all the gayety and animation of a leading 
summer resort at the North. 

Situated on the left bank of the St. John's, at the point 
where that noble river makes a sharp bend to the east, thej 
city presents a very attractive appearance from the water,' 
and from its higher points commands a pleasing outlook 
upon the stream and its low-lying opposite shore. Its situ- 



FEENANDINA. 95 

ation is a very favorable one for commerce, and its trade 
is very extensive, particularly in lumber, the preparation 
of wbich gives employment to a number of. large saw- 
mills. Nearly all the railroad and steamer lines of the 
State center at Jacksonville, and immense quantities of 
fruit and early vegetables, as well as of cotton and sugar, 
are shipped thence to Northern and foreign ports. 

With what are known as the " modern conveniences " 
the city is well supplied. It is lighted with gas, has an 
excellent system of water-works drawing the water from 
artesian wells, and has recently been provided with an 
effective system of sewers. The public schools are well 
organized and in successful operation ; there are a circu- 
lating library and a free reading-room ; Episcopalian, Pres- 
byterian, Methodist, Baptist, and Catholic churches ; banks, 
public halls, newspapers, and telegraphic connection with 
all parts of the United States. According to the census 
of 1880, the resident population was 14,500, and the rate 
of growth has been and is very rapid. When Florida shall 
have achieved what now appears to be her " manifest des- 
tiny," Jacksonville will be one of the great commercial 
and industrial centers of the country. 

Fernandina. — This picturesque old city, one of the 
most interesting in Florida, lies on the Atlantic coast, about 
fifty miles northeast of Jacksonville, close to the Georgia 
line, being the northernmost point in the State. It is built 
on the west shore of Amelia Island, overlooking a broad 
bay which affords the finest harbor on the coast south of 
the Chesapeake Bay, and which gives it important commer- 
cial advantages. Vessels drawing twenty feet of water can 
cross the bar at high tide, and the largest ships can un- 
load at the wharves. The Mallory Line of Direct Florida 
Steamers has its southern terminus at Fernandina, and the 
steamers of the Charleston and Savannah lines call here on 
5 



96 FLO BID A. 

their way to and from Jacksonville. One of the most im- 
portant railroads of Florida — the Atlantic, Gulf and West 
India Transit Railroad — begins at Fernandina and runs 
southwest across the State to Cedar Keys ; and the Fer- 
nandina and Jacksonville Railroad, recently completed, af- 
fords a short air-line route between these two cities. With 
such advantages, it is not surprising that the commerce of 
Fernandina is large and increasing. Immense quantities 
of fruits and vegetables are brought thither by the rail- 
ways for shipment north ; and there is an important export 
trade in lumber, cotton, and sugar. 

Fernandina was founded by the Spaniards in 1632, and 
has an interesting history, over which, however, I have not 
time to linger. It is now a busy and prosperous place of 
about two thousand inhabitants, whose numbers are largely 
augmented by visitors during the winter season. It is built 
on a broad plain that rises gently from the shores of the 
bay, showing to fine advantage from the harbor. The 
streets are laid out at right angles, are wide and generally 
well kept, and are everywhere densely shaded with great 
oaks, magnolias, and similar evergreen trees. The business 
portion of the city contains some substantial structures ; 
but the largest and finest buildings are the hotels. The 
Egmont Hotel is one of the finest in the South, and the 
Mansion and Riddell Houses are spacious and well kept, all 
being crowded during the season. The suburbs are very 
beautiful, the houses being for the most part tastefully con- 
structed, and nearly always surrounded by ample grounds 
laid out in lawns and gardens, and covered with a tropical 
luxuriance of flowers and shrubbery. Quite a number of 
orange-groves are found in the vicinity, and opposite the 
Egmont House is an interesting grove of palmettoes. 

Crossing the island in a direction due east from the 
city, an attractive drive two miles long leads to the famous 
Amelia Island Beach, one of the finest in Americaj and af- 



FERNANDINA. 



97 




o 



98 FLORIDA. 

fording an unsurpassed beach-drive of twenty miles. The 
beach is as smooth, as hard, and as level as a floor ; and 
during the season it presents an enlivening sight, with 
its long lines of carriages and other equipages. Another 
charming ride may be enjoyed to Fort Clinch, a romantic 
old fortification situated on the extreme northern point of 
the island. 

But of all the attractions of Fernandina and its vicin- 
ity the chiefest is " Dungeness," once the home of Gen- 
eral Nathanael Greene, of Revolutionary fame, and now 
the property of General W. G. M. Davis. This noble 
estate was granted to General Greene by the State of 
Georgia, in recognition of his splendid services to the 
South, and is situated on Cumberland Island, about an 
hour's sail from Fernandina in a small steamer. Cum- 
berland Island lies along the coast of Georgia, close to 
the Florida line, and is some eighteen miles long by 
about a mile in average width. On one side lies the 
broad Atlantic, and on the other is the sound, across 
which, at the distance of about a mile, is the mainland. 
Dungeness, so named by General Greene's wife, is situ^ 
ated at the southern end of the island, and includes 
about one third of its total area. The magnificent man- 
sion was burned in the early part of the civil war, but the 
ruins still stand firm as a rock, the massive old coquina- 
stone walls having actually been hardened by the fire. 
In the quaint old burying-ground, some distance from the 
house, lie a number of the relatives of General Greene and 
his wife ; and here is the tomb of "Light-Horse Harry" 
Lee, father of General Robert E. Lee. 

On a charming morning in January, 1880, I visited 
Dungeness, and spent a couple of hours in wandering 
about the beautiful grounds, with their curious old gar- 
dens and fruit-groves. It was my second visit to the 
place, and I felt that I could exist there as a modern 



ST. AUGUSTINE. 99 

Robinson Crusoe, if need be, and never tire of its love- 
liness. Such teeming gardens ; such brilliant flowers ; 
such wide fields ; such noble groves of grand old live- 
oaks and magnolias ; such a tropical luxuriance of tan- 
gled vines ; such broad, winding avenues, leading from 
the water to the house-park ; such delightfully perplex- 
ing walks ; such a glorious sea-beach, the twin of that 
on Amelia Island ; such oysters, lining the sound-shore 
in millions ; such game and fish ; and such a clear, pure 
air — no, never could I tire of Dungeness ! — dreamy, ro- 
mantic, delicious, entrancing old Dungeness ! 

St. Augustine. — The visitor to St. Augustine may en- 
joy the consciousness that the spot on which he then stands 
has behind it a longer stretch of authentic history than any 
other within the limits of the United States. It is, indeed, 
the oldest European settlement in our country, having been 
founded by the Spaniards under Menendez in 1565, forty- 
two years prior to the settlement of Jamestown in Virginia, 
and fifty-five years before the landing of the Pilgrims at 
Plymouth Rock. Its history has been checkered and ro- 
mantic in the highest degree ; it was from the very first a 
place of considerable note, and the theatre of interesting 
events ; and it still possesses a curious aspect and flavor of 
antiquity. Coming to it from bustling, active, Northern- 
like Jacksonville or Fernandina, one is conscious of a com- 
plete and sudden change of time and place — as if the brief 
ride on steamer and railway had produced magic results, 
and landed him in some quaint, old, dead-alive Spanish town 
of the middle ages. The large influx of wealthy settlers 
from the North has greatly altered the character of the 
place within the past few years ; but the smart modern vil- 
las still have the air of foreign intruders, and the quaint, 
romantic old city retains at once its individuality and its 
unlikeness to anything else in America. 



100 



FLORIDA. 




I,^aK ^" 



^^ •'i^^^li.^K 



Stkeet in St, Augustine. 



ST. AUGUSTINE. 101 

The site of St. Augustine is a flat, sandy, narrow pen- 
insula, formed by tlie Matanzas River on the east and the 
St. Sebastian on the south and west. It is separated from 
the Atlantic Ocean by Anastasia Island, which lies directly 
in front of the harbor, and for miles around it is encom- 
passed by a tangled undergrowth of palmetto - scrub and 
other bushes. From Jacksonville it is about thirty miles 
distant in a southeasterly direction, and it is about forty 
miles south of the mouth of the St. John's River. 

The very streets of St. Augustine are romantic and 
characteristic, being crooked and narrow — seldom more 
than ten to twenty feet in width — and all paved with 
shells. The older houses are built mostly of coquina (or 
shell-stone, quarried on Anastasia Island), and the prevail- 
ing style of architecture is very quaint and ancient, the 
verandas frequently hanging out over the streets and al- 
most touching each other across the narrow way. The 
principal streets running parallel to the river are Bay, 
Charlotte, St. George's, Spanish, and Tolomato. Those 
running at right angles (east and west) are Orange, Cuna, 
Ilypolita, Treasury, King, Bridge, and St. Francis. Bay 
Street is the main business street, and commands a fine 
view of the harbor, Anastasia Island, and the ocean. St. 
George's is the Fifth Avenue of the place, and contains 
some of the finest buildings and residences. At the head 
of this street stands the famous City Gate, once a part of 
the old Spanish wall that extended acrgss the peninsula 
from shore to shore, and protected the city on the north. 
The last traces of the wall have long since vanished, but 
the City Gate is in a fair state of preservation, and, with 
its lofty ornamented towers and sentry-boxes, it is a pictu- 
resque and imposing structure. 

Near the center of the city is the Plaza de la Constitu- 
cion, comprising about an acre of ground inclosed with a 
substantial fence. In the center of the Plaza stands a 



102 



FLORIDA. 



monument erected in 1812 to commemorate the adoption 
of the Spanish Liberal Constitution ; and on the eastern 
side is a Soldiers' Monument erected in 1872 by the Ladies' 
Memorial Association " in memory of our loved ones who 




St. Augustine Cathedral. 



ST. AUGUSTINE. 



103 







The Convent-Gate. 



gave their lives in defense of the Confederate States." 
Fronting on the Plaza are several noteworthy huildings, 
among them the dilapidated old cathedral with its qnaint 
Moorish belfry, forming one of the "sights" of St. Angus- 



104 FLORIDA. 

tine. The cathedral was built in 1793, and one of the bells 
bears the date of 1682. Also fronting on the Plaza is 
the Governor's Palace, formerly the residence of the Span- 
ish governors, but now used for the post-office and court- 
rooms. Next to this building on the north is the old Con- 
vent of St. Mary's, and the Convent of the Sisters of St. 
Joseph is a tasteful coquina building on St. George's Street, 
south of the Plaza. 

Perhaps the most interesting features of old St. Augus- 
tine are the Sea Wall and Fort Marion (formerly Fort San 
Marco). The Sea Wall is built of coquina, with a granite 
coping four feet wide, and is nearly a mile in length, pro- 
tecting the entire ocean-front of the city. It furnishes a 
delightful promenade, and is usually thronged on moon- 
light evenings. Kear its south end are the United States 
Barracks, occupying a building v/hich was formerly a Fran- 
ciscan monastery. At its north end, commanding the sea- 
front, is old Fort Marion, probably the most picturesque 
structure in America. Like the Sea Wall and most of the 
older edifices in St. Augustine, it is built of the coquina 
quarried on Anastasia Island, and the construction of it 
occupied one hundred and sixty-four years, having been 
commenced in 1592 and completed in 1756. The labor of 
building it was performed almost entirely by negro slaves, 
Indians, and prisoners of war ; and every stone of it was 
cemented with the sweat of toiling sufferers. While in the 
possession of the British, this was said to be the prettiest 
fort in the king's dominions ; and with its esplanade, moats, 
barbicans, drawbridges, massive arched entrance, dark pas- 
sages, vaulted casemates, ornate sentry-boxes, frowning 
bastions, and mysterious dungeons — in which v^ere found 
in 1835 two skeletons in cages, victims probably of some" 
inquisitorial cruelty — it is still a strangely attractive and 
interesting spot. For modern warfare, of course, it is quite 
useless, and not being kept up for military purposes, it is 



ST. AUGUSTINE. 



105 



quietly crumbling into decay. At present it is simply a fa- 
vorite place of resort for sight-seers and curiosity-hunters. 
It is especially popular with romantic, newly-married tour- 



■,-,^7!*fesfi'i •*=4 



n--^7v-— -. 




ists, and with marriageable maidens and their escorts ; and 
it is reputed to have no rival in the number of lovers' 



106 FLORIDA. 

vows and marriage - promises that have been exchanged 
within its recesses. 

Of the modern buildings at St. Augustine, the largest 
and finest are the hotels — the St. Augustine, fronting on 
the Plaza and Charlotte Street, and the Magnolia, in St. 
George Street, near the Plaza, being the principal ones. 
There are also quite a number of fine modern villa resi- 
dences erected by Northern settlers, and in the environs 
are many beautiful orange-groves and gardens. The har- 
bor affords unsurpassed opportunities for boating and fish- 
ing ; and pleasant excursions may be made to the light- 
houses and coquina-quarries on Anastasia Island, and to the 
North and South Beaches. Salt-water bathing may be 
enjoyed in suitable bath-houses, but sharks render open sea- 
bathing dangerous. The officers of the garrison and a 
number of wealthy gentlemen who visit St. Augustine reg- 
ularly each season, have built and maintain a cozy little 
yacht club-house, which is one of the leading attractions 
of the place. It is built out over the water of the harbor, 
just opjDosite the St. Augustine Hotel, and its hall, richly 
furnished in the Eastlake style and decorated with pictures, 
is equipped with leading papers and periodicals from all 
parts of the world. To the army ofiicers, some dozen or 
more in number, is due much of the social animation of St. 
Augustine. 

In the matter of healthfulness St. Augustine takes a 
high place among Florida resorts. Malaria is almost un- 
known, and the constant sea-breezes moderate the cold of 
winter and mitigate the heat of summer. Frosts seldom 
occur, and the mean winter temperature is 58*08°. Never- 
theless, cold northeasters are liable to make themselves felt 
in January and February, and this renders the place less 
desirable for consumptives than some of the inland resorts. 
The summer climate is delightful. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE ST. JOHlSr's EIVER. 

This famous river, from its mouth to its head-waters in 
the far-off regions of Southern Florida, is purely tropical ; 
its waters, shores, scenery, vegetation, all animate objects, 
the birds in the air and on the water, the fish and reptiles 
within its depths, are mostly strange, attractive, and in- 
tensely interesting, especially to the Northern traveler. It 
is the only really tropical stream in the United States navi- 
gable its entire length, and is different from all others in 
that it reverses the usual order of the water-courses of 
America and flows due north. A sluggish, slow current, its 
entire length lies parallel with, and is only separated by a 
narrow belt of land from, the Atlantic Ocean, into which it 
empties at a point eighteen miles east of Jacksonville, close 
to the Georgia State line. 

From its source to its mouth it embraces three varieties 
of streams, each entirely distinct in form, width, depth, 
scenery, shores, soils, and vegetation ; and these strange 
transformations not only add greatly to the interest of the 
river, but relieve it of the monotony characteristic of long 
rivers. The first stretch of the river, from its mouth to a 
point shortly above Welaka, a total distance of ninety-seven 
miles, is a vast lagoon, averaging from one to six miles in 
width, deep, with a slow current, the shores a series of bold 
bluffs and declivities, everywhere covered with extensive 
forests of great live-oaks, sweet-gums, cypresses, willows, 
and occasional magnolias. These forests tower up grandly, 



108 FLORIDA. 

their wide-spreading branches loaded with waving festoons 
of soft gray Spanish moss and interlaced with gigantic 
vines, while the soil beneath is mostly free of heavy under- 
brush, presenting a romantic, park-like appearance as viewed 
from the deck of the passing steamer. 

The settlements are frequent, and are usually attractive- 
appearing villages, with noticeably large, well-built, bright- 
looking homes, neat grounds and fences, cozy-looking little 
stores, fine long piers — everything wearing an air of long- 
established prosperity. Large estates, having commodious 
residences, with wide, roomy verandas, standing in the midst 
of neatly cleared house-grounds, and surrounded by broad 
fields and thrifty, green-leaved orange-groves, the home 
pier projecting into the river (for every one residing on the 
St. John's River must have a pier and a fleet of boats to 
complete his happiness), are everywhere in sight, lining the 
shores on either hand and charming the traveler with their 
manifest evidences of comfort and content. This region is 
regarded as healthy, and is not infested by insects to any 
unusually annoying degree. No portion of the State is more 
desirable for the health-seeker, or for the traveler in search 
of repose, desiring only a quiet, cozy retreat for a summer- 
like home in mid-winter months, where all the choicest vege- 
tables, daintiest fruits, and most brilliant-hued flowers, ex- 
cellent fishing, and the pleasures of small-game hunting, may 
be enjoyed all the year round. For the settler, too, its 
only drawback is the liability to frosts in occasional years, 
damaging to the prospects of fruit-culture on a large scale 
for positive revenue ; but this is not an altogether bad feat- 
ure, since it enhances the healthfulness of the region. No- 
where do figs, grapes, strawberries, pears, peaches, and all 
kinds of vegetables, grow to better advantage or produce 
more abundantly. Oranges also do well on the east side, 
where ample water protection is secured ; but lemons, 
limes, pineapples, and bananas are uncertain, though they 



THE ST, JOHN'S EIVER. 



109 



are unusually excel- 
lent and nutritious if 
ripened without in- 
jury by frost. 

Nearly all tour- 
ists in Florida "do 
the St. John's " up 
to Sanford, but com- 
paratively few take 
a trip on that por- 
tion of the river be- 
low Jacksonville; yet 
those who do not, 
miss a view which 
equals in picturesque 
strangeness any river 
scenery in America. 
Here the river is a 
broad estuary, with 
no perceptible cur- 
rent, stretching spa- 
ciously between low- 
lying shores, which 
close it in on either 
hand with serried 
ranks of evergreen 
forest-trees. No town 
or hamlet breaks in 
upon the primitive 
simplicity and wild- 
ness of the scene, 
and the few houses 
that are here and 
there seen appear to 
be lapped and in- 




110 FLORIDA. 

wrapped in a soft, dreamy, delicious quiet. Yet there is 
no sense of -loneliness. On the broad bosom of the stream 
at all hours may be seen the beautiful, swan-like steamers 
as they come and go to and from New York, Savannah, 
Charleston, and other ports ; and the countless sailing-ves- 
sels that " go down to the sea " lend a perpetual animation 
and interest to the scene. A winter home here, with a well- 
kept garden, fruit-grove, and flower-decked lawn, a horse, 
dog, gun, fishing-rod, and yacht, is as near an approach to 
the original Eden as one can reasonably expect in this world. 

As is the case with nearly all the Southern rivers, the 
mouth of the St. John's is obstructed by a sand-bar, which 
interferes seriously with navigation, and which is now being 
dealt with on the Eads system of jetties. Near the en- 
trance is the famous Pelican Bank, the resort of myriads of 
sea-fowl ; and a little north is Fort George Island, which is 
a favorite summer resort of inland Floridians, and which 
has an hotel, several handsome residences, an observatory, 
a lighthouse, a quaint old Pilot Town, and some fine shell- 
roads.* 

The round trip up the St. John's River from Jackson- 
ville and return involves about eight hundred miles of travel, 
and every mile is deeply interesting, with its rapidly shift- 
ing scenes of tropical vegetation and life. Always on the 
steamers will the passengers be seen clustered on the decks, 
forward and aft, all intently observing the novel and ever- 
changing panorama, admiring the numerous strange birds, 
of several varieties, as they gracefully wheel off in the dis- 
tance, or curiously studying the hideous attractions of the 
alligators that may be discovered basking in the sunshine 

* A good view of the lower St. John's is obtained from the steamers 
which run from Charleston and Savannah to Jacksonville. A better plan, 
however, affording an opportunity for a short visit to Fort George Island, is 
to take the little steamer which runs down the river from Jacksonville 
every afternoon, returning next morning. 



TEE ST. JOSN'S ,BIVER. HI 

along the banks. Alligators are quite wise in their gen- 
eration, know the universal propensity of mankind to kill 
something, and are aware of their own very tempting quali- 
ties as a target when exposed to a boat-load of travelers, of 
whom the masculine members are nearly all armed with 
deadly weapons ; so they do not offer any very extended 
opportunity to study their physiognomies, but always rush 
for deep water, the principal impression they convey being 
that of a scurrying, splashing monster with a great tail 
curled upward, plunging head - foremost into the water. 
Above Lake Monroe, in the savanna region, alligators are 
very plentiful and not shy, but below Lake George they 
are very rare, and none are seen from the steamers. 

Ten miles above Jacksonville, on the west shore, is Or- 
ange Park, a neat village of broad gardens, wide streets, a 
handsome winter hotel, numerous pretty cottages, a river- 
road lined with large oaks (in one of these is built a lattice 
summer-house reached by easy ascending stairs), a long pier, 
and a stylish wharf -house. Five miles farther, on the east 
shore, is Mandarin, a cozy and prosperous village of roomy, 
airy, neat homes ; the orange-groves, gardens, lawns, roads, 
fences, and pier all giving unmistakable evidences of com- 
fort and good taste. Here, showing prominently from the 
river, is the home of Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Six 
miles above, on the western shore, is Hibernia, a pretty 
hamlet, much resembling Mandarin. Indeed, the same de- 
scription answers for both, and also for Magnolia, six miles 
farther up, on the western shore, equally pretty and thrifty. 

Green Cove Springs is three miles above (thirty miles 
from Jacksonville), on a broad, deep bay on the western 
shore. This is a charming village of several stores, two 
large, well-furnished and finely appointed winter hotels, 
and numerous pretty homes. The streets are shady and 
neat, making it an attractive resort. The springs, from 
which the village takes its name, are the principal attrac- 



112 



FLORIDA. 



tion, located in the center of the place and arranged for 
drinkmg and bathhig. The water is slightly sulphurous and 
remarkably clear, sparkling, and copious. 

Picolata, a pretty locality on the eastern shore, nine miles 
above, is a small hamlet of four or five houses, with orange- 




Mrs. Stowe's Eesidence. 



p-roves ; and on the same shore, four miles above, is Tocoi 
(forty-three miles from Jacksonville). Here the traveler 
takes the cars for St. Augustine, fourteen miles distant, 
across a monotonous, flat, pine timbered country. Tocoi is 
entirely uninteresting, merely a railway-depot, with freight- 
warehouse, car-shed, water-tank, and two small dwellings. 



THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER. 113 

There is a moss curing and packing house near by, where 
the Spanish moss is prepared for mattresses for Northern 
markets. This will probably become an important business 
in Florida in the future. Federal Point, six miles above, is 
a small hamlet on the eastern shore, w^ith three or four cot- 
tages, a store, and numerous young orange-groves. It is 
noted for the great quantity of strawberries growm there, 
upward of fifty thousand quarts having been shipped in the 
winter and spring of 1881. Here are two of the finest 
orange-groves in the State, curiously noticeable because, 
contrary to all theories, arguments, or practical trials at- 
tempted elsewhere, they are located on low, flat, inferior- 
looking pine-land, the surface being very little above water. 
Orange Mills, five miles above, on the eastern shore, is in all 
respects similar to Federal Point. 

Palatka, the county-seat of Putnam County, is seven 
miles above (sixty-one miles from Jacksonville). This 
beautiful young city is located at the head of a large bay 
on the western shore of the river, on a high, broad plateau, 
affording a grand view up and down the river. The soil 
thereabout is rich, susceptible of easy cultivation, and 
yields abundant crops. Hundreds of market-gardeners are 
settled in the surrounding country, and vast quantities of 
all kinds of garden-vegetables and small fruits are annually 
shipped ISTorth. In the vicinity are many old, productive, 
and valuable orange-groves ; and on the opposite side of 
the river (reached by ferry) is the grove of Colonel Hart, 
one of the most famous in the State. 

Palatka is the second city in size on the St. John's Riv- 
er, and is rapidly growing. It contains numerous large, 
well-stocked stores, packing-houses, warehouses, hotels, sev- 
eral handsome churches, public schools, and public build- 
ings. The streets are wide, neatly kept, and are generally 
shaded Avith large oaks and orange-trees, and lined with 
many tastefully coiistructcd residences, and neat cottages 



114 FLORIDA. 

with ample house-grounds. Thrift, prosperity, good taste, 
and enterprise are everywhere manifest. The Florida 
Southern Railway Company (narrow-gauge line), one of the 
most extensive corporations in the State, has its headquar- 
ters here, the car-shops, storehouses, depots, wharf, and gen- 
eral offices being all established. Also the general offices 




Entbance to Hakt''b Oeange-Geove. 

of the Ocklawaha River and the Crescent Lake lines of 
steamers are here, and the Charleston and Savannah lines 
of ocean-steamers make this place their up-river terminus. 
It will be seen that its shipping and transportation facilities 
are quite important. The population is about eight hun- 
dred, mostly energetic, Northern-born people. 



THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER. 115 

San Mateo, on the eastern shore, four miles above Palat- 
ka, is a very attractive place, situated on a high bluff, with 
numerous large and thrifty old orange-groves, and many 
vegetable-gardens. It has a telegraph-office, express-office, 
and one of the largest orange-packing houses in the State, 
a church, public hall, school, stores, etc. The society is ex- 
cellent, the dwellings are neat and attractive, and no place 
has a better reputation for healthfulness. 

A short distance above is Dunn's Creek, leading into the 
famous Crescent Lake, about two miles wide and six miles 
long, a beautiful sheet of water lying between St. John's 
and Yolusia Counties. It is surrounded by a fine region, 
with pleasing scenery and excellent soil. Crescent City, 
Owasco, and Oakwood, are pretty little hamlets on its 
shores, the first-named being the largest and most flourish- 
ing, with churches, schools, stores, hotel, etc. There are 
several other little settlements — rapidly increasing — on the 
lake, which is said to be quite healthy and to have notice- 
ably few insects. A steamer connects this region with 
Palatka. 

Returning to the St. John's, and journeying up-stream, 
next comes Buffalo Bluff, on the east shore, six miles above 
San Mateo. This is a pretty little settlement, with numer- 
ous thrifty young orange-groves and gardens. Three miles 
above, on the east shore, is Nashua, very similar in appear- 
ance to Buffalo Bluff. Saratoga, a little community, where 
the steamers occasionally stop, lies between the last-men- 
tioned places, on the same shore. It has good soil, and will 
likely become a thriving town in time. 

Three miles more brings us to Welaka, one of the most 
charming localities on the St. John's River, and one of the 
healthiest and prettiest settlements in the State. The loca- 
tion is on a high bluff, crested with an extensive grove of 
peculiarly beautiful and majestic live-oaks, and the soil, 
generally free from underbrush, looks clean and park-like. 



116 FLORIDA. 

Here are a number of the Lest orange-groves in tlie State. 
The residents exhibit much good taste in the construction 
of their homes, and their gardens, lawns, flowers, and fences 
are noticeably neat. Nearly opposite Welaka is the mouth 
of the famous Ocklawaha River. 

Norwalk is three miles above, on the western shore, the 
settlement being located about a mile back from the river, 
in a region of good soil and attractive surroundings. It 
has schools, churches, stores, etc., and is noted for the ex- 
cellence of its society and the great amount of vegetables 
and garden-fruits produced, annually shipping large quan- 
tities. It contains many fine orange-groves. 

Just below this landing the character of the St. John's 
River changes. Here the lower St. John's practically ends, 
and the middle St. John's begins ; the broad, clear-water, 
bay-like form abruptly terminates, and the steamer passes 
into a narrow channel, fifty to three hundred feet in width, 
and remarkably crooked. The water is darker, with a cof- 
fee-colored appearance which is attributed to the rank veg- 
etation of the region. This is the tropical jungle region of 
the river, and continues, with occasional exceptions in the 
shape of pine or high-soil clearings, on up to Lake Monroe, 
eighty miles above Korwalk. The shores are mostly flat, 
very little above the surface of the river, which frequently 
spreads out over the low boundaries of the channel proper, 
and forms vast, shallow lakelets, where game resorts in 
great numbers. Everywhere the shores are covered with a 
dense growth of oaks, cypress, sweet-gum, willow, and the 
like, all interlaced with gigantic vines in greatest abun- 
dance ; great clusters of gray Spanish moss hang from the 
branches, and the ground is covered to the water's edge 
with an impenetrable jungle of tropical grasses, reeds, 
brambles, and bushes. Brilliant-hued flowers — some varie- 
ties are very large — are everywhere, in the water, on the 
bushes, the vines, and the trees, and add a novel beauty to 



THE ST. JOHN'S lilVER. 117 

the scenery. Occasionally a glimpse may be had of that 
mysterious and infrequent air-plant known as loornanh- 
hair, a mossy growth very closely resembling the long, 
soft, golden-hued hair of a young woman, and the clusters 
when seen have an appearance of being thrown carelessly 
into a tree or bush. Mistletoe-boughs, with their bright- 
red berries, are also everywhere seen. Here is the haunt 
of the alligator, where the traveler has a first sight of these 
famous saurians. They are not plentiful, and must be seen 
quickly, if seen at all, for they are very shy and have a dis- 
trust of steamers. The managers of the steamer-lines have 
recently issued strict orders forbidding any shooting from 
their steamers, a wise and timely regulation, for, by their 
insane shooting at everything, the tourists were driving all 
birds, alligators, and animals from this portion of the river. 
The scene is also enlivened by the bright plumage — snowy 
white or brilliant red predominating — of the many birds 
and water-fowls as they gracefully skim through the air, 
especially the large, long-legged, long-necked, long-billed 
white herons, which are very plentiful, and present a fine 
sight as they majestically wheel in slow curves through the 
air. This dense jungle scenery frequently impresses the 
traveler with an idea that the adjacent country is uninhabit- 
able, but such an impression is erroneous, for this is merely 
a valley region ; there is excellent country lying back at 
distances varying from a few hundred feet to two miles. 

Resuming the journey up the river, from Norwalk it is 
two miles to Mount Royal, on the eastern shore, a pretty 
situation with several neat homes and thrifty orange-groves. 
Then a half-mile farther is Fruitland, a little settlement fa- 
mous for good soil and large production of vegetables. To 
Fort Gates, a small hamlet on the west shore, it is three 
quarters of a mile. Three miles above, on the eastern shore, 
is Georgetown, situated at the north end of Lake George. 
This is a small trading-place, but is one of the most attrac- 



118 FLORIDA. 

live localities on the river, owing to the excellent taste shown 
by the people living near the landing. Their dwellings, 
lawns, fences, and gardens are extremely neat as seen from 
the steamer. Several fine, large orange-groves are near by, 
that bear heavy crops. 

The steamer here enters Lake George, one of the largest 
and most attractive of the inland lakes of Florida. It is six 
miles wide and thirteen and a half miles long, famous for 
the variety and excellence of its fish, and as being the re- 
sort of myriads of wild ducks and all kinds of water-fowls. 
Many parties of sportsmen annually visit the lake for the 
shooting and fishing, and always are delighted with their 
success. Lake George Post-Office is the first landing on 
the lake, two miles above Georgetown, a trim little j)lace on 
good soil. One and a half mile farther is Drayton Island 
Landing, the port of this famous island, remarkable for its 
fertility, abundant crops, and health. Seville, on the east 
shore of the lake, is five miles distant, an attractive place, 
with a number of fine orange-groves ; and six miles above 
is Spring Grove, a small but flourishing settlement on the 
w^estern shore. Four miles more and the steamer is at the 
famous Volusia Bar, that hides itself beneath the water at 
the upper end of the lake, causing endless delay and annoy- 
ance to the steamers of the river — often so low for weeks, 
falling to three and a half feet, that none but the lightest- 
draught boats can cross. An appropriation has recently 
been made by the national Government, and a force is at 
work removing the obstruction, on the Eads jetty system. 

Again entering the river, which is here much narrower 
and shallower, five miles from the bar is Volusia, on the 
eastern shore, an unattractive landing, the port of a thrifty 
back country. On the opposite shore, a quarter of a mile 
above, is Astor, merely a well-constructed, large warehouse 
and wharf, the river terminus of the St. John's and Lake 
Eustis Railroad, a narrow-gauge road leading to Fort Mason 



THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER. 119 

(twenty-six miles distant), wliere it opens up the famous 
Lake Eustis and Lake Dora region, the equal — even the su- 
perior—of any region in Florida for superb scenery, excel- 
lent soil, rapid growth, and healthy enterprise. 

From Astor it is three miles up to Bluffton, a common- 
place post-office landing ; and two miles above is the en- 
trance to Lake Dexter, on the east shore, a fine little lake 
containing a number of pretty islands, and affording an out- 
let for Spring Garden and a good back country. From the 
entrance it is twelve miles up to St. Francis, an unattractive 
landing on an elevated site, once the location of an old-time 
Spanish settlement. Six miles above is Hawkinsville, on 
the west shore, a mail-landing with two or three houses on 
a level clearing of evidently fertile soil, judging from the 
thrifty appearance of the oranges and bananas growing there. 
It is remarkable for an extensive quarry or bed of coquina, 
or shell-rock, the only formation of the kind in this section 
of the State or along the entire river. 

De Land Landing is one mile above, a solitary, neatly 
constructed storehouse on the east shore, the port of De 
Land village, which lies four and a half miles in the interior. 
It is three miles more to Lake Beresford, a pretty sheet of 
water lying on and adjoining the river on the east side. 
Here the steamer enters and crosses the small lake to Ros- 
siter's, and Alexander's, two landings near each other, small 
settlements of three or four cheap, rude little buildings, 
the ports of the Spring Garden and De Land villages and 
an excellent adjacent region of fertile soil and numerous 
settlers. 

Again passing up the river, from the entrance of the 
lake it is five miles to Blue Springs on the east shore, a 
rather interesting landing-place, a wharf, roadway, one resi- 
dence on a little hill surrounded by a number of exceedingly 
large orange-trees that annually bear a thousand and more 
oranges each. The spring, that gives the name, is just 
6 



120 FLORIDA. 

below — a large pond of remarkably blue, sparkling water of 
slightly sulphurous flavor, and full of large fish (here for 
their health, probably (?) ). It is the port for Orange City 
village, on the "high lands two miles in the interior. 

Eight miles above is We-ki-va, a mere solitary rude log 
shanty on the east shore just opposite the mouth of the 
We-ki-va Creek, a dismal location. Here passengers and 
freights for Altamont and Apopka are transferred to the 
little craft that ascends to those enterprising towns. Six 
miles above, passing through a broad, level, open prairie 
belt — the first on the river — the steamer enters Lake Mon- 
roe at its western end (the lake lies east and west), and 
in four miles more the steamer is at Sanford, a total dis- 
tance of one hundred miles, by mail-line steamer route, 
above Palatka, and one hundred and sixty- one miles above 
Jacksonville. 

Lake Monroe is four and a half miles wide and ten miles 
long, and well stocked with excellent fish. It is practically 
the head of the middle St. John's River, and the lower ter- 
minus of the upper St. John's ; and at Sanford, on the 
south shore, freights and passengers for the interior of 
Orange County (Maitland, Osceola, Interlaken, Orlando, 
some portions of Altamont and Apopka) are transferred 
to the South Florida Railroad at its fine wharf. Also goods 
and passengers for far-off tropical Lake Worth, Indian 
River, and the cattle-prairies of the south, are transferred 
to the curious little steamers specially constructed for the 
shallow, crooked channel of the upper St. John's. 

One mile east of Sanford is Mellonville, merely a pier, 
an old hotel, and a few dwellings. Everything here was 
once well constructed, and this was at one time the only 
settlement on the lake, and quite an important place. It 
was established in 1835 as a military post during the wars 
with the Seminole Indians, the landing for the town and 
garrison of Fort Reed, two miles in the interior, where is 



THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER. 121 

now quite an attractive little village and several of the old- 
est, best, and most productive orange-groves in the State. 

Directly op]30site, on the north shore of the lake, is En- 
terprise, the county-seat of Volusia County. It is located 
on a plateau that rises to a considerable height back some 
distance from the lake. The soil is excellent and very fer- 
tile. The town contains a court-house and county build- 
ings, a spacious winter hotel, three or four stores, and a 
large saw-mill. It is a neat, pleasant-appearing place and a 
famous resort for tourists in the winter season. In the 
vicinity, or suburbs, are several fine residences, the winter 
homes of Northern families. Much taste is shown in these 
dwellings, their lawns, gardens, and surroundings. Here is 
the famous estate of De Bary (the wine-importer of New 
York City), quite worth a visit to see the extensive groves, 
packing-house, piers, and such improvements established. 
A spring of sulphur-water gushes from the earth in the 
center of a large field on the lake-shore on the De Bary 
estate. The spring is about fifty feet in diameter, very 
deep, and the waters remarkably green and strongly im- 
pregnated with sulphur. A large hotel, to eclipse anything 
of the kind in the South as a winter resort, is being con- 
structed there, for which the locality is peculiarly adapted. 
In this vicinity are a number of the largest and oldest 
bearing orange-groves in the State. "^ 

* The question of distances on the St. John's River from Jacksonville 
to Sanford is very puzzling to the tourist, and even to old residents, owing 
to the differences in the tables of distances given in the innumerable little 
advertising hand-books, so-called guide-books, railway-charts, etc., varying 
from one hundred and forty -four to two hundred and thirteen miles, in- 
cluding many intermediate quantities. Some quote " per United States 
survey," which is erroneous, as there has been no United States survey, ex- 
cept a mere visit known officially as a " preliminary reconnaissance." The 
figures as given in this article were obtained from Captain- William Shaw, 
an officer who has navigated the St. John's twelve years as captain of sev- 
eral steamers, and who at present commands the steamer Fred De Bary, the 



122 FLORIDA. 

From Lake Monroe to the extreme southern head-waters 
of the St. John's Biver, in Lake Washington, is a journey 
of two hundred and fourteen miles, following the river- 
channel, which is remarkably crooked, narrow, and shallow. 
The region above Lake Monroe (the upper St. John's re- 
gion), the third section of this strange stream, is a total 
change from the two lower sections already described. It 
is a vast prairie region, with occasional clusters, or small 
groves, of palmetto, sometimes a solitary tree, or half a 
dozen in a group. Here are seen great herds of cattle, for 
it is an excellent grazing region, and here the lazy, hideous, 
but cowardly alligators are found in all their glory. Being 
seldom disturbed by man, they thrive in all this region in 
great numbers, attain their fullest size, and are not so 
timid ; can be approached nearer than in the northern sec- 
tions of the State. The entire region is literally alive with 
game, the rivers and numerous lakes being full of fish of 
many varieties, the prairie-grasses and the groves filled 
with all kinds of small game, while bear and deer are abun- 
dant, and in all directions may be seen ducks, geese, loons, 
coots, pelicans, storks, cranes, herons — all kinds of birds and 
fowls for food or plumage. It is a paradise for hunters and 
anglers. The journey through this region is always deeply 
interesting to the traveler (if properly provided with sports- 
men's outfits, mosquito-nettings, etc.), who is usually im- 
pressed with a feeling of being far away, out of the coun- 
try, in a strange clime and land. 

The lower St. John's presents an attractive Southern 
scene ; the middle St. John's presents a semi-tropical scene 
of jungles and orange-groves ; but the upper St. John's is 
the truly tropical region, deeply impressive, more easily re- 
finest of the river-boats. The figures can be decreased somewhat by pass- 
ing over the route direct, without stops, or increased by making stops at 
all private landings. The distances here given arc accurate, as made by 
the mail-boats. 



TEE ST. JOEN'S RIVER. 123 

membered than described. (An extended description of a 
journey in this region is given in the chapter on the French 
trip.) 

The St. John's Riyek Fleet. — One of the most con- 
clusive evidences of the rapid growth of Florida, especially 
of South Florida, is the numerous and constantly increasing 
fleet of steamers that traverse the waters of the St. John's 
River. It is but three or four years since two or three old 
and slow-going boats performed all the service upon this 
great artery of commerce, where now upward of a dozen 
swift and commodious steamers are barely adequate to the 
requirements of travel and traffic. Of the several steamer 
lines now in operation, the " De Bary Line " is the most 
important and popular. It carries the United States mails, 
and runs daily to Sanford, stopping at all mail-stations. 
At the general office of the line in Jacksonville (on their 
own wharf) will be found Captain William Watson, the 
manager, and Mr. C. B. Fenwick, the highly j)opular and 
genial general passenger agent. The steamers of the line 
are the Fred De Bary (Captain Shaw), the largest and 
most elegant on the river, the George M. Bird (Captain 
Amazeen), the Rosa (Captain Smith), the Florence (Caj)- 
tain Brock), and the Sylvan Glen, a swift boat formerly 
running on the IS'ew York and Harlem line. — The " Pio- 
neer Line," the oldest on the river, comprises four steam- 
ers, of which the Arrow (Captain Payne) runs twice weekly 
between Jacksonville and Sanford, while the little craft 
Volusia (Captain Lund) runs weekly to Salt Lake and 
other points on the extreme upper St. John's. The other 
steamers of this line, the Fox and Daylight, ply between 
Sanford and all points above. — The "Independent Line" 
consists at present of the City of Sanford (Captain Rhodes), 
which runs twice weekly between Jacksonville and San- 
ford. A fine new boat is shortly to be added to its service. 



IM FLORIDA. 

— The We-M-wa (Captain Jones) "goes it alone/' plying 
between Jacksonville and the remote uj^per regions of the 
river. It is a small and old-fashioned boat. — A small 
steamer leaves Jacksonville every afternoon for Fort George 
Island, at the mouth of the St. John's, returning next morn- 
ing, and affording a delightful excursion. — Several small 
steamers ply at frequent intervals between Jacksonville 
and the various villages and private landings on the river 
as far up as Palatka.* 

* Details as to these various steamers (hours of departure, etc.) will be 
found in the chapter, " Eoutcs to and through Florida." 



CHAPTER YIL 

THE OCKLAWAHA EIVEE, SILYEK SPEING5 AND OCALA. 

The head-waters of the Ocklawaha are formed by a 
series of springs rising to the surface in the central sections 
of Orange and Sumter Counties, and by tributary streams 
from the several large lakes of that region, including Lakes 
Eustis, Harris, Griffin, and Dora. Some of these springs 
are remarkable for their size, purity, clearness, and mineral 
qualities, particularly Clay Spring, near Apopka. The river 
flows through portions of four counties, with a course al- 
most due north until it touches the northern boundary of 
Marion County, when it turns due east, and empties into 
the St. John's at Welaka, twenty-five miles south of Pilat- 
ka. Its total length is about three hundred and forty miles, 
and it is navigable throughout by the little steamers, which 
also traverse many of its tributaries to their fountain-heads, 
thus penetrating to all portions of that rich interior region 
lying in the center of the peninsula. The steamers of the 
well-known '^ Hart Line " are a species of craft peculiar to 
the Ocklawaha, and for many years they aiforded the only 
means of access and transportation for all that vast region. 
Kailroads are now penetrating it, and in a few years the 
whistle of the locomotive will be heard in every hamlet.* 

* The St. John's and Lake Eustis Raih^oad, running southwest from 
Astor on the St. John's Hiver to Fort Mason on Lake Eustis, a distance of 
twenty-six miles, is now in successful operation. Preparations are making 
to extend it to Pendryvillc on Lake Eustis (two miles) and to Leesburg on 



126 



FLORIDA. 



The river, as it is termed, is quite an indefinite body of 
water. It is more properly a series of lagoons, overflowed 
swamps, long narrow lakes, and great springs — all connected 
and interlinked — the water-basin of the western portion of 




Forest on the Ocklawaha, 



the St. John's River Valley. It is an extensive region of 
dense jungle, lying low and flat, undrainable, and impossi- 

Lake Griffin (twelve miles). It is also tbouglit that the branch of the Tran- 
sit Railroad which now extends southward to Ocala will shortly be pro- 
longed to Leesburg and possibly to Lake Maitland. 



TEE OGKLAWARA RIVEE. 127 

ble to improve for human use ; and will always remain wild 
and unmolested, a paradise for all the strange reptiles, in- 
sects, birds, and fish that seek its innermost recesses. To 
the pleasure-seeking tourist and the sportsman it affords an 
inexhaustible field of interest, but to the invalid, health- 
seeker, or practical settler it offers no attractions. As the 
steamer follows the vaguely defined course of the channel, 
there are frequent landings, localities where points of the 
mainland extend like a peninsula into this watery jungle, 
affording access and outlets to the more profitable and 
healthy regions lying inland all along the route. 

The writer, as has already been explained, accompanied 
the Grant party on their tour through Florida in January, 
1880. Returning from a visit to the upper St. John's, at 
Welaka, we changed steamers, and were soon snugly quar- 
tered on the strange little steamer Osceola, which started 
off at once for a night-journey up the Ocklawaha. 

The steamers that thread the very narrow and wonder- 
fully crooked waters of that stream are each an aquatic 
curiosity. Built especially for the route, they are alto- 
gether unique ; there are none others anywhere like them. 
They are particularly curious in that they have an appear- 
ance of having been placed in service just before comple- 
tion. Constructed with two decks — quite low between — a 
snug little square-shaped wheel-house high up forward, and 
a tiny little lobby deck aft, with the row of three or four 
little state-rooms ranged between, they are unexcelled for 
the accommodations which they afford in the scanty space 
at command ; and are a much more comfortable and ser- 
viceable craft than their appearance would indicate.* 

Upon the roof of the wheel-house of our special steamer 
was a large iron box where a bonfire of pitch-pine knots 
lighted up the scenery by night. A huge stern-wheel fur- 

* For specific information about steamers, hours of departure, fares, etc., 
see chapter on. " Routes to and through Florida." 



128 



FLORIDA. 



nisbed the propelling power. The cabin was quite neat, 
but a perfect little dolPs house in size and furnishing. The 
" seclusion that a cabin grants " was not included on this 




A EivKE Post-Offjce. 



boat, but it was big enough to a:fford accommodation for all, 

there being but four or five passengers other than our party. 

It was but a few moments after leaving the j)ier at We- 



THE OGKLAWAHA RIVER. 



129 



laka that the valiant little steamer suddenly turned, plunged 
boldly into a dense thicket, and we were in the very mouth 
of the Ocklawaha. The first query on board was, " How 
did the pilot find the entrance to the stream ? " for it re- 
sembled a little brook pouring out from a jungle of over- 
hanging trees. Another problem was, " as to how he man- 
aged to keep in the right channel on the route " ; for it 




The Lookout. 



would be difficult to imagine anything short of a bow-knot 
more crooked, and there were many places where half a 
dozen apparent streams would be found all converging upon 
one point, and all exactly alike. The wonderful ability of 
that pilot, his foresight, or eyesight, inspired us all with 
profound admiration, not to say awe. 

The steamer began its journey late in the afternoon, 



130 FLORIDA. 

to give us a night view of the river, and we all spent the 
evening, night, and morning on deck, deeply interested in 
watching the scenery, which begins its strangeness at the 
very outset, and is worth the seeing every rod of the route. 
It is grand, impressive, strange, tropical — now gloomy and 
awe-inspiring, now fairy-like and charming, and again weird 
and wild. The great forest-trees of that region are all of 
immense size, oaks, gums, magnolias, cypress, etc., inter- 
spersed with the more tropical palmetto and palm, all laden 
and interlocked with a perfect network of immense vines, 
too tangled for description, brilliant with vegetation — 
leaves of all colors, flowers of all shapes, sizes, and hues, 
and loaded with great clusters of mosses. The most con- 
spicuous and abundant of these mosses is the Spanish moss, 
with its delicate, silvery-gray shade ; but clusters of the 
popular, pretty mistletoe, with its bright berries, are also 
seen, and occasional masses of that handsomest of all mosses, 
the famous woman's-hair. This strange air-growth has a 
rich, glistening, golden color, is long and fibrous in text- 
ure, wavy, and closely resembling a mass of blonde hair. 
It is a rare moss, and when seen hanging from some bough 
gives one the impression that three or four bushels of gold- 
en locks have been shorn from fair heads and hung thereon 
for adornment. 

The scene is enlivened with birds of many kinds, nearly 
all strange to the Northern eye — snowy- white storks, cranes, 
herons, water-turkeys, hell-divers, curlews, etc. — many hav- 
ing brilliant plumage. The waters teem with large turtles 
and alligators, that quickly disappear as they catch a 
glimpse of the puffing, chuffing little steamer as it comes 
around a bend. 

The stream is generally very narrow ; in many places, 
often for quite a long distance, the branches of the great 
trees interlock across the channel, forming vast arched 
avenues, paved with a floor of intensely black water, roofed 



THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER. 131 

with dense, dark foliage decorated with great fringes of 
moss. These covered passages are solemn and impressive 
at any time ; but in the night, when lighted up by the 
blaze of the brilliant bonfire burning on the roof of the 
wheel-house, then the scene is quite indescribable. The 
inky water, the lights and shadows of the foliage, the dis- 
turbed birds as they wheel gracefully out of sight, all leave 
an impression never to be forgotten. 

Early the next morning, Silver Spring was reached, and 
after an excellent breakfast all went ashore. There is noth- 
ing especially interesting about the locality except the 
spring. Boats were in readiness, and all enjoyed a row 
over its translucent surface, and wondered at its marvelous 
clearness — so clear are the waters, that small pebbles lying 
on the bottom, sixty-five feet below, can easily be distin- 
guished. We dropped in several small pieces of tin about 
the size of a silver dime, and could plainly see them at 
the bottom ; and a tenpenny nail, dropped in and closely 
watched as it descended, could be distinctly ti'aced to its 
resting-place far below. 

The spring has a surface area of about three acres, and 
the very commonplace, flat, circular shore is mostly covered 
with a growth of heavy pine and thickets of underbrush. 
The sides beneath the surface of the water are nearly ver- 
tical ; in fact, the spring is very like a great punch-bowl 
sunk in the earth. The water boils up from invisible sources 
in the bottom, so evenly and quietly, that not a motion is 
observable on the surface, and so copiously that a deep and 
navigable river about one hundred feet wide is formed at 
the start, and in seven miles reaches a junction with the 
Ocklawaha. 

After a thorough inspection of this wonder of nature, 
we rode over to Ocala, six miles distant, arriving there in 
season to enjoy a dinner at the comfortable, old-fashioned 
tavern. The drive from the spring wa3 mostly through 



132 



FLORIDA. 



a nearly level pine-wood country, not particularly interest- 
ing ; but in the immediate vicinity of the town the soil is 







generally good, and under careful cultivation that is rapidly 
improving its value. 



THE OCKLAWAHA EIVER. 



133 




134 FLORIDA. 

Ocala numbers about one thousand inbabitants, is the 
county-seat of Marion County, and was a flourishing place 
in cmte-belluni days, the center of a large neighborhood of 
wealthy planter society. A railroad has just been com- 
pleted there from Waldo, on the Transit Railroad, and 
another road, now building, will soon reach there, giving 
Ocala at last the much-needed quick steam communication 
with the commercial centers of the country. Its j^opula- 
tion is enterprising and energetic, and Ocala is evidently 
destined to be an important railroad center in the near 
future, for it is in the direct pathway of other railroads 
necessary to develop that portion of the State. 

The return voyage down the Ocklawaha was without 
special incident, but repetition can not wither nor custom 
stale the infinite variety and interest of that unique scenery. 
Every visitor to Florida should make the famous excursion 
"up the Ocklawaha," and no one who has once made it 
will be likely ever to forget a night-journey upon what 
has been well called " The Mysterious River." 

Until recently Silver Spring was the end of the ordinary 
tourist journey on the Ocklawaha, but the little steamers go 
far beyond that, threading the upper river, and making the 
circuit of Lakes Eustis, Harris, and Griffin. These three 
lakes are among the largest in Florida, and the trip upon 
them enables the tourist to see some of the most striking 
and picturesque scenery in the State. Just south of Lake 
Eustis, with which it is connected by a channel that has 
not yet been opened to navigation, lies Lake Dora, another 
large lake, whose high and bluff-like shores remind one 
rather of the lake region of western New York than of the 
low and sandy levels that usually characterize Florida. 
From the summits of several of the headlands on its north- 
ern side may be obtained views far and near that will prove 
memorable in their loveliness — that will haunt the mind 
long after the vision of them has vanished. 



TEE OGKLAWAHA RIVER. 



135 



The following table will prove useful, as showing the 
principal landings on the river and lakes, and the distances 
from the mouth of the river, which is twenty-five miles 
south of Pilatka, and nearly opposite Welaka : 

TABLE OF DISTANCES ON THE OGKLAWAHA. 



Davenport 8 

Fort Brook 35 

Orange Spring 37 

lola 50 

Forty-foot Bluff 54 

Eureka 68 

Sunday Bluff 70 

Palmetto 76 

Gore's, 82 

Dcurisosa 88 

Graliamville 92 

Limpkin Bluff 96 

Silver Springs Run 101 

Silver Spring 110 



MILES. 

Lake Ware Landing. 125 

Moss Bluff 128 

Stark 162 

Orange Hope 164 

Slighville 168 

Leesburg 178 

Lake Griffin Post-Office 183 

Lovell's 195 

Fort Mason 205 

Pcndryville 208 

Esperance 229 

Yalalia 234 

Helena 247 

Okahumkee 249 



Fair hotel accommodations can be obtained at Leesburg, 
at Pendryville, and at Fort Mason ; but the latter is a most 
unattractive place. What is greatly needed in the interest 
of tourists is a cross-cut railroad from the Lake Eustis re- 
gion to Sanf ord on the St. John's, aif ording the opportunity 
for a " round trip " up one river and down the other. When 
this is constructed, as it should be soon, commodious hotels 
will spring up in all this region. 



CHAPTER YIII. 

THE INDIAN RIVER REGION AND THE INLAND LAKES. 

The Indian River region is the most widely known of 
any portion of all South Florida, but it is visited by very 
few tourists and travelers, owing mostly to its general in- 
accessibility. The shortest distance from Jacksonville by 
the usual — and at present only — method of transportation 
(the St. John's River route) is upward of two hundred 
miles, and this long journey ends at Titusville, located al- 
most on the head-waters of the famous river. A detailed 
description of the journey from Jacksonville, also a descrip- 
tion of the various places which I visited on the Indian 
River, is given elsewhere, in the chapter containing an ac- 
count of the writer's tour of the State with Hon. Seth 
French. The purpose of this chapter is to give a more 
comprehensive description of the resources and advantages 
of the region regarded as a whole. 

Indian River runs parallel with the Atlantic coast, 
northwest and southeast, extending south of latitude 27°, 
and running north of 28^°, measuring from one and a half 
to seven miles in width, and from four to sixteen feet in 
depth of channel, though in many places one may wade 
more than half a mile from shore. 

It abounds in every variety of fish, but is distinguished 
for its superb mullet, the general weight of which is from 
two to five pounds, but in many instances they weigh from 
six to nine pounds, measuring twenty or twenty-two inches 
in length. The sheep's-head, sea-trout, cavalier, and bass are 



THE INDIAN RIVER REGION. 



137 




Looking across Indian Eivek. 



large and fine. There are very extensive beds of oysters in 
the southern portion of the river, of the largest siz3 and most 



138 FLORIDA. 

superior flavor ; and these are so accessible that the canning 
of them would prove a profitable occupation. Turtling is 
carried on to some extent and proves quite lucrative. The 
river is separated from the Atlantic by a narrow strip of 
land from one to three-fourths of a mile in width, the ma- 
jority of which is poor sand-scrub, though it contains bod- 
ies of very rich hammock. Approximating thus near the 
Atlantic, it has the benefit of the sea-breeze in its pure 
state, and this, combined with the mild, genial climate of a 
southern latitude, is what renders it so famous for health 
— such a thing as sickness being scarcely known upon the 
river. 

The pine-lands largely predominate, some of very fair 
productive quality, with beautiful sites immediately upon 
the river having an altitude of eight to sixteen feet above 
the water. There are also fine bodies of the most splendid 
hammocks peculiarly adapted to the growth of tropical 
fruits, the leading varieties of which are the orange, lemon, 
lime, citron, banana, plantain, pineapple, guava, pomegran- 
ate, tamarind, sapodilla, avocado-pear, French lime, mama- 
apple, sugar-apple, mango, papaw, cacao, date, cocoanut, 
English walnut, pecan-nut, yam, ginger, cassava, etc. The 
orange is the leading crop. It requires three years from 
transplanting to commence bearing, then pays hundreds of 
dollars per acre, and soon runs to thousands, there hav- 
ing been four to six thousand dollars per acre realized in 
one season. Bananas grow considerably north of this, and 
pay from twelve hundred to two thousand dollars per acre. 
Pineapples promise from eight to twelve hundred dollars 
per acre. Sugar-cane grows astonishingly, attaining a 
height of twelve to sixteen feet, single stalks yielding more 
than a gallon of juice, which, being boiled down, makes over 
a quart of thick sirup, and produces five or six hundred gal- 
lons of sirup per acre. Of peas and pumpkins two crops 
from the same vine are raised in abundance, and potatoes 



TEE INDIAN RIVER REGION 139 

flourisli the year round. The natural growth of the ham- 
mock is the sturdy live-oak, measuring from two to six feet 
in diameter ; the stately hickory, two to three feet in diame- 
ter, and twenty to forty feet to the first limbs; the red elm, 
mulberry, wahoo, cabbage-palmetto, with an undergrowth 
of hack-bush, torch-wood, marl-bush and vines. There are 
also the iron-wood and crab-wood, approximating in weight 
to the lignum-vitse, and susceptible of the finest polish. 

There are numerous springs of good water just under 
the bluff, and by sinking wells twelve to sixteen feet wa- 
ter is obtained almost anywhere. The water in the ham- 
mocks is more or less impregnated with lime, there being a 
stratum of coquina-rock underlying the surface, forming 
an inexhaustible supply of the most valuable fertilizer. The 
woods abound in small game and in deer, bears, and an occa- 
sional panther, with the most superior range for every kind 
of stock. Four-year-old steers weigh from four to five 
hundred pounds, two-year-old heifers from two hundred 
and fifty to three hundred pounds, and they calve at that 
age. Hogs are raised, with but little attention, to weigh one 
hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds at two years old. 

The labor of one man, when once properly estab- 
lished, may make his thousands. The great need is trans- 
portation. By referring to the State map, it will be per- 
ceived that a canal eight miles in length will connect the 
Halifax and Mantanzas Rivers ; then a little work upon the 
Haulover, between Halifax and Indian Rivers, puts it in 
connection with St. Augustine. So that a line of light- 
draught steamers plying through these rivers, a distance 
of over two hundred miles, connecting at St. Augustine 
with large-class steamers outside, and by railroad to Jackson- 
ville, giA^es a direct communication with the world. It will 
also attract the trade and develop an extensive section of 
country, the Kissimmee, that is now lying almost in obscu- 
rity. It needs an outlet or pass from opposite the mouth of 



14:0 FLORIDA. 

the St. Sebastian into the Atlantic (there being eight feet 
of water in the river, and a steep shore on the Atlantic, 
which will prevent its ever being filled with sand), admit- 
ting large-class steamers and increasing the turtle interest. 

With these connections, the Indian River will come 
into repute for vegetables. It can supply even New York 
in the months of January, February, and March, with the 
most delicate varieties — tomatoes, peas, beans, green corn, 
cabbages, melons, etc. I have reason to believe that varie- 
ties of grapes can be grown here with success — the Scup- 
pernong to perfection. The base of all Southern Florida is 
limestone ; this it is that prevents miasma, and it is this de- 
composed limestone that makes the soils of that region so 
fertile. 

In describing this Indian River region it is appropriate 
to include the regions about Lake Worth and Key Biscayne 
Bay, both places being in fact a continuation of that special 
class of soil and products. It is hardly necessary to men- 
tion that all this region, including the Indian River, is en- 
tirely below the frost-line. The thermometer throughout 
the year shows a temperature of about 75°, the extremes 
being 49° and 92°. 

THE INLAND LAKES. 

Another delightful variety of country found in Florida 
is the central lake region. There are no mountains in the 
State, and but few hills worthy of mention, and these few 
are usually in more or less unfavorable localities ; but the 
absence of these pleasant topographical features is com- 
pensated by the great number of lakes, scattered thickly all 
through the central regions away from the seacoasts and 
large rivers. They are of all shapes and sizes, from ponds 
of an acre area in extent to spacious lakes of thirty by fifty 
miles dimensions, with flat, pine-clad shores, or bold bluffs, 
or rolling banks, or jungle-clad outlines, all pretty, and 



THE INLAND LAKES. 141 

filled with remarkably pure, clear water whicli teems with 
fish. 

In the northern counties are many of these lakes, mostly 
of large size, wdth high, rolling shores, and in some respects 
closely resembling the famous lakes of central N^ew York 
or Wisconsin. In the vicinity of Tallahassee are several, 
all beautiful, particularly Lake Jackson, a large sheet of 
water that is deservedly one of the choice attractions shown 
the visitor. Lakes lamonia, Lafayette, Bradford, and Mic- 
cosukie, also in the vicinity of Tallahassee, are all beautiful 
and interesting. 

Farther south, in Alachua and Putnam Counties, and 
lying southeast of the Florida Transit Railroad, is anoth- 
er particularly attractive cluster of lakes. These include 
Lakes George, Brooklyn, Waldo, Santa Fe, and Deep Lake, 
all of considerable size, with from three hundred to ten 
thousand acres area. Lake Santa Fe is the largest of this 
cluster, and probably the prettiest. On a bold bluff of its 
fertile shore the Santa Fe Hotel has recently been built, a 
fine, roomy structure, in the midst of a large, park-like gar- 
den, with a charming lawn sloping down to the water's 
edge. It is only a short drive thither from Waldo Station, 
on the Transit Railroad. Recently a party of enterprising 
local capitalists have excavated a series of short canals, thus 
establishing communication between all the lakes in this 
chain, and now they have steam transportation from all 
points on the lakes to Waldo Station. 

Farther south again is the famous Orange Lake region, 
in Alachua and Marion Counties, lying a short distance 
south of the Transit Railroad. Orange Lake is the prin- 
cipal of these, and is quite a large sheet of wacer. The 
famous orange-groves owned by Dr. Bishop and Mr. Harris 
are located on the shores of this lake, which is skirted by 
the branch of the Transit Railroad that runs south to 
Ocala, 



142 FLORIDA. 

Still farther soutli is found the Lake Harris region, situ- 
ated in Sumter and Orange Counties, principally in Sumter. 
These lakes include Harris, Eustis, Griffin, and Dora, all 
large lakes of four to ten miles in length and width. There 
are numerous other smaller lakes in their vicinity, but these 
named are the principal. These lakes, as explained in the 
preceding chapter, form the head-waters of the Ocklawaha 
River, and are surrounded by the richest lands of the most 
fertile region of Florida. Their shores are everywhere re- 
markably beautiful, and the land would be highly produc- 
tive under cultivation. There are already many splendid 
orange-groves growing on their shores, and settlers are fast 
flowing in. 

Lake Panasofkee, situated a considerable distance west 
of the Harris cluster, in the same county, is a noticeably 
large lake surrounded by rich hammock-lands. (This lake 
is fully described in the chapter on the tour of the State 
with Mr. French.) 

Lake Apopka, just to the south of the Harris group, 
is a lake region by itself, so to speak, for all that section 
is known to the people of the State as the Lake Apopka 
region. It is a large lake, with a coast-line of fifty miles. 
The surrounding country is quite beautiful in scenery and 
of rich soil. A number of the best orange-groves in the 
State are in this region, entirely beyond danger of frosts. 

Again passing south and east, the famous inland lake 
region of Orange County is reached. It is in the vicinity 
of Maitland, Osceola, Interlaken, and Orlando, that these 
lakes are most numerous. Looking in any direction from 
those places, several of these pretty little lakelets can be 
seen. From a certain standpoint in Maitland nine lakes are 
in plain sight. 

- Their sizes vary from ten acres to three thousand acres ; 
their shores are, generally speaking, slightly rolling. The 
land of that region is covered with a heavy growth of pine. 



THE INLAND LAKES. 143 

interspersed with occasional tracts of hammock, and the 
sm'f ace is mostly flat and not very attractive to the eye, nor 
very fertile in productive quality, except by fertilizing ; but 
an offset to these objections lies in the fact that it is un- 
doubtedly the healthiest portion of Florida. 

This lake region is penetrated by the South Florida 
Railroad, which extends from Sanford on Lake Monroe to 
Orlando, the county-seat of Orange County, and passes the 
already-mentioned villages of Maitland, Osceola, and Inter- 
laken. In my tour of the State with Mr. French (Chapter 
III), I have already described it at considerable length, and 
it is also described in the chapter on " The Sanford Grant." 
I may add that the soil directly around Orlando is probably 
the best in the region. 

Farther south are numerous lakes, many of them quite 
large, like Lakes Butler, Conway, Tohopekaliga, Cypress, 
Kissimmee, and Marianna, all situated in the center of the 
peninsula, and surrounded by a rich hammock-soil. As yet 
there are scarcely any settlers in all that extensive region, 
which is quite beyond the confines of civilization at this 
writing. The country is mostly of a prairie-like character, 
resembling portions of Illinois, excepting that the vegeta- 
tion is purely tropical, including many scattered groves of 
stately palmettoes. 

Lake Okechobee, still farther south, is the largest in 
the State, covering an area of upward of six hundred 
square miles, and extending fairly into the region of the 
Everglades. The "Everglades" occupy nearly the whole 
southern extremity of the peninsula, and are, as I have 
elsewhere said, not so much a marsh as an extensive lake, 
which is so shallow as to be overgrown with grasses and 
other vegetation. In the rainy season, in particular, its 
lake-like character is clearly apparent. 

A company of Philadelphia capitalists are proposing to 
drain a large portion of this Everglade region, by cutting 
7 



144 FLORIDA. 

a Series of canals connecting it with both the Gulf and the 
Atlantic. The enterprise is one of considerable magnitude, 
and, if fully successful, will be of immense value to them- 
selves, to the State, and indeed to the entire country, as it 
will open to profitable cultivation millions of acres of the 
richest soil in the world, especially and peculiarly adapted 
to the production of sugar. 

In this cursory glance at the inland lakes which consti- 
tute a characteristic feature of the Floridian Peninsula, I 
have not mentioned the innumerable smaller and detached 
ones that dot the surface nearly everywhere, nor have I at- 
tempted even to name the countless " springs " found in 
all portions of the State, and attaining in many cases to the 
dimensions of lakes. A volume would be required in order 
to do justice to them all ; and even then, probably, that 
more thorough exploration and survey of the State, that 
is sure to come soon, would reveal the existence of many 
more. 

They are a great boon to the State, not only for their 
beauty and picturesque effect, but for the facilities they 
offer to transportation, and the fertility they impart to the 
soil. Lands on their shores are everywhere eagerly sought 
by the settler, it being the ambition of all to own a home 
nestling on a lovely lawn bordering upon some pretty lake. 
And surely nowhere can there be found more attractive 
scenes of picturesque domesticity than is afforded by a 
lake-side home in Florida. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE GULF-COAST AND KEY WEST. 

The waters of the Gulf of Mexico wash the entire west 
and south coast-line of Florida, a stretch of about seven 
hundred miles. 

Commencing about one hundred miles northeast along 
the Atlantic coast side, a series of islands forms a continuous 
chain around the southern extremity of the State, and ex- 
tends in a line bearing south of west from the mainland out 
into the Gulf. 

These islands are generally small, averaging about one 
hundred acres, excepting Largo and Key West, which are 
from one to two miles in width and seven to ten miles in 
length. All are quite rocky, but the sparse sandy soil is 
very fertile, and everywhere covered with an abundant vege- 
tation. These islands are called keys, and the cluster at the 
western extremity is the famous Dry Tortugas, where the 
United States Government has extensive fortifications, store- 
houses, and military supplies. 

South of this long chain of keys, and separated from 
them by a navigable channel, is the great Florida Reef, a 
long, narrow ledge of coral, of great danger to the naviga- 
tion of these waters, being hidden beneath the surface of 
the ocean, and only exposed to view in severe gales. 

All this great line of mainland and island coast presents 
but few harbors, owing to the shallow soundings. Com- 
mencing at the extreme western end of the coast, the har- 
bors are Pensacola, Appalachicola, St. Marks, Cedar Keys, 



146 FLORIDA. 

Tamj^a Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and Key West. The three 
ports first named, together with Tampa Bay, have been de- 
scribed in previous chapters. 

Cedar Keys is the Gulf terminus of the Florida Transit 
Railway from Fernandina (one hundred and fifty-four miles), 
and is also the port of the Henderson Gulf Line of steamers 
and of the New Orleans, Havana and Gulf Line, both lines 
having excellent steamers, well equipped and supplied, and 
scheduled so as to connect daily at Cedar Keys with any 
of the Gulf and West India ports. Cedar Keys is a dreamy, 
cleanly kept, irregular little village of orderly and thrifty 
people. It is built on an island (as its name suggests), and 
faces to the northeast, quite confusing to the traveler, who 
usually expects to look west for the Gulf waters. The rail- 
road enters the place across a long bridge that spans the 
lagoon. The general appearance of the town is pleasing, 
the one business street being lined with substantial struct- 
ures, mostly built of coquina-stone, and in design and mate- 
rial having a Spanish, tropical appearance quite in keeping 
with the surrounding scenery. The trade is mostly whole- 
sale, and amounts annually to several hundred thousand 
dollars, supplying the retail dealers of all the little ham- 
lets along the coast and rivers of a large portion of that 
region. To the hunter, fisherman, or health-seeker, it offers 
attractions equal to any portion of Florida. 

Under the guidance of Major Parsons, who has resided 
here forty-three years, the writer visited all the various points 
of interest, and enjoyed a pleasant visit in this delightful 
old place. Late one brilliant afternoon we were on board 
the splendid new steamship Admiral, that makes two trips 
weekly between Cedar Keys, Key West, and Havana, and 
soon all were enjoying the soft, refreshing salt-water breeze 
and viewing the beautiful scenery of the islands, with their 
wealth of tropical vegetation, the large, comf ortable-aj)pear- 
ing dwellings standing in the midst of flower- laden gardens 



TEE GULF- COAST AND KEY WEST. 147 

and broad, bright green lawns. On we sped, passing the 
graceful lighthouse and picturesque home of the old light- 
keeper, out into the warm blue waters of the Gulf. It was 
a lovely, warm evening. After partaking of an excellent 
supper, all assembled on the after-deck in the deep enjoy- 
ment of cigars, listening to anecdotes, and inhaling the 
pure, balmy breeze, observing the clear sky, the brilliant 
stars, and bright full moon that lighted the calm w^aters 
like a vast sheet of glittering silver. It was a charming 
scene of great beauty, deeply enjoyed and long to be re- 
membered by all the participants, none retiring until a late 
hour. 

Early the following morning all were on deck, sniffing 
the invigorating breeze and watching the many dolphins, 
porpoises, and occasional sharks, as they plunged through 
the w^aters in every direction. 

To our left, quite plainly in sight, was the coast of Flor- 
ida, the islands of very tropical appearance forming exceed- 
ingly pretty pictures as the bright sun rose behind them. 
The coast is for the most part low and sandy, edged by 
shoals and bars, and broken here and there by beautiful 
bays and indentations. All the larger inlets are filled w^ith 
islands, most of which are sandy and arid, though some are 
covered with a tropical luxuriance of vegetation. 

All along the coast at convenient points are little farm- 
ing or lumbering settlements ; the principal being Crystal 
River, Hamosassa, Bayport, Anclote River, Clear- Water 
Harbor, Law's Store, McMullen's Store, Philippi's Grove, 
Point Penales, Alafia, Terrasea Bay, Little Manatee, Mana- 
tee, Sarasota, Charlotte Harbor, and Punta Rassa. Mana- 
tee, which is something of a village, is not directly on the 
coast, but about eight miles up the Manatee River, in a 
pleasant situation, where game is abundant. 

Charlotte Harbor, however, possesses greater natural ad- 
vantages than any other on the Gulf coast, and has been 



148 FLORIDA. 

pronounced by competent authority to be tbe best harbor 
between Port Koyal and Pensacola. It is a grand sheet of 
water, about thirty miles in length by ten in width, easily 
accessible from the Gulf, and studded with hundreds of 
beautiful troj)ical islands, of which the most important are 
Pine, Sanibal, Captira, Lacosta, and Gasparilla. The local- 
ity has of late begun to attract much attention, and nearly 
all the projected railroads of the State have fixed upon 
Charlotte Harbor as a southern terminus — among them the 
South Florida Railroad, which, as explained in another 
chapter, has already set out on the route thither. Indeed, 
the geographical, commercial, and climatic advantages of 
the place are too apparent to escape notice, and I believe 
that some locality on that noble harbor is destined to be- 
come a great trade and shi^^ping center, and one of the 
most popular winter resorts in the State. All the lands in 
the vicinity are good ; and crops of everything that can be 
produced elsewhere in the semi-tropical portions of Florida 
will grow there and produce abundantly. The scenery is 
beautiful, the climate is wonderfully bland and equable, 
and game and fish, oysters, turtles, and the like, are found 
in inexhaustible quantities. The islands, great and small, 
that are so numerous on that beautiful coast, are wonder- 
fully pretty, perfect gems of tropical scenery. 

Considering how numerous are the summer resorts, in- 
land and seaside hotels all through the north and west, 
and how few are the winter resorts — the hotels specially 
for winter tourists numbering scarcely two dozen in all — 
and they not in the really tropical region of the State ; and 
considering how limited is the tropical region ; how the 
number of hotel residents, of tourists, wandering to all sec- 
tions of the country, summer and winter, in search of health 
and pleasure, is increasing to such a vast multitude each- 
year ; and that the hotels of Florida, even at highest 
prices, are scarcely able to accommodate the visitors to the 



TEE GULF-COAST AND KEY WEST. M9 

State — it is apparent that the time is near at hand when a 
vast winter " Coney Island," with Newport and Long 
Branch combined, must be established at some point in the 
southern part of the peninsula, beyond any possible danger 
of cold, frosts, or extreme changes ; where a sea-beach 
drive, islands for pleasure-yachts, a race-course, polo-ground, 
base-ball park, etc., etc., can be established, and where the 
health-seeker, the hunter, and the fisher, as well as the lover 
of strange scenes and excitement, may each find special at- 
tractions. Charlotte Harbor, with a railroad, would present 
just such a location ; and railroads must go there. Each 
season the army of tourists to Florida is increasing, and 
the farther south they can get the better they like it. And 
this spot offers attractions not possessed by any other in the 
whole country for such a resort. As I sat on an elevated 
spot on the shore of that harbor, and looked over its broad, 
beautiful expanse, watching the sun sinking behind the 
lovely islands, and saw many dolphins gamboling in the 
bright waves, and thought of the myriads of fish and oys- 
ters so easy to be obtained, and the soil, so prolific of all 
dainty fruits, I reflected that it only needed the genius of 
a Corbin, a Breslin, or a Lorillard, to wake up this dreamy, 
delicious locality, and make it a spot that would rival any 
pleasure resort in the world. With competing lines of rail- 
roads and steamers, and consequent low fares, all the 
United States would soon wish to enjoy the novelty of see- 
ing a horse-race, or a game of base-ball, or a yacht-race, 
or to try a swim, pick a banana, or wear a white suit, in 
January. 

"On Pease Creek, a tributary of Charlotte Harbor, a 
large amount of elevated and rich lands is open to settle- 
ment. The mainland, between the head of Charlotte Har- 
bor, Meyakka River, and Little Sarasota Bay, also offers a 
fine field for settlement. Between the Haulover and the 
head of Little Sarasota Bay a high bluff extends along the 



150 FLORIDA. 

Gulf coast, and to those wlio wish to pitch their tents with- 
in sight and sound of the waves this would prove a desir- 
able S230t. 

" At the southern extremity of Charlotte Harbor is situ- 
ated Punta Rassa. The improvements consist of the signal 
and telegraph station — a large wooden structure — a large 
storehouse, a superior dock, and a fish-ranche. This is the 
great point for the shipment of cattle to Key West and 
Cuba. The Caloosa entrance, leading from the Gulf to 
this point, is comparatively shallow, affording but nine feet 
of water at low tide at the shallowest points. Leaving the 
dock and proceeding in a northerly direction for three 
miles, the mouth of the Caloosahatchie River opens up. 
Unfortunately for the navigation of this stream, there is 
but seven feet of water in the channel at the mouth, at low 
tide. However, this depth would prove ample for river- 
steamers, and, if it should ever be required, a small expendi- 
ture would deepen the channel so as to allow of the passage 
of any vessel that could enter the port. Soon after enter- 
ing the river it widens out and becomes a beautiful stream, 
from one and a quarter to three miles in width, for a dis- 
tance of thirty miles. The land gradually rises from the 
river for a mile, or a mile and a half, and I have been as- 
sured that it is good, productive pine-land, in many places 
mixed with shell and underlaid by clay or marl. 

"Fort Myers, distant twenty-live miles from Punta 
Rassa, is an old military post, which was abandoned after 
the last Indian war. At present it contains a population of 
about two hundred persons, the majority of whom are en- 
gaged in cattle-raising. Here I found several small orange- 
groves, and the trees appeared vigorous and healthy. Large 
patches of bananas flourished with a luxuriance unknown in 
the more northern j^ortions of the State. But what grati- 
fied me most was the existence of eleven cocoanut-trees, 
seventeen years old, with their pendent fruit and luxuriant 
leaves. The cocoanut is very susceptible to the influence 
of frost, and the presence of these trees convinced me 
that the locality had not suffered from it for seventeen 
years. At this point the river is much narrower than lower 
down the stream, but measures one mile and eleven chains 
from bank to bank. 

" By the course of the river the Caloosahatchie telegraph 



THE GULF-COAST AND KEY WEST. 



151 



station and crossing is distant fifteen miles. From the fort 
to within a short distance of the station the banks of the 
river are low, and in many places swampy. Near the sta- 
tion the banks are high and the soil excellent. The opera- 
tor pointed out a lemon-tree near the house, not five years 
old, that had produced about one thousand lemons. A few 
of them were hanging on the tree, and I found them thin- 
skinned and very juicy. We are satisfied that the time is 
not far distant when the lemons of Southern Florida will 
drive the diminutive, and, to a certain extent, juiceless 
lemons of the Mediterranean from the American markets. 

" From the tele- 
graph station to 
Fort Donand, dis- 
tant twenty miles 
in a direct line, but 
more than twice as 
many by the course 
of the river, the 
stream is narrow, 
varying from one 
hundred and fifty 
to four hundred 
feet in width, but 
very deep. Be- 
tween these points 
the banks of the riv- 
er are high, and, in 
some places, almost 
perpendicular. In 
many of the reach- 
es, to make a land- 
ing without a ladder would be a troublesome undertaking. 
Along the river rich hammocks exist, clothed with a growth 
of small live-oaks and cabbage-palms ; back of this a belt 
of pine-timber, and then the open prairie, covered with 
luxuriant and nutritive grass. From our own observations, 
and information obtained, the belt of timber on the line of 
the river is narrow in its whole course. The prairie on 
each side of the stream is very extensive, and dotted with 
what is known as 'islands' — patches of live-oak and palm, 
and belts of pine of limited extent. These oases of foliage 



:^y 




The Cabbage-Palm. 



152 FLORIDA. 

furnisli protection to cattle and herds. The grasses in this 
section are more tender and succulent than in the northern 
and western portions of the State. 

" For the production of sugar-cane this section possesses 
an advantage over Mississippi and Louisiana, where cane 
has to be cut before it has attained its full saccharine de- 
velopment, in order to avoid the injurious influence of 
frosts. In Southern Florida the cane will tassel and perfect 
itself." 

Key West was reached about noon on the day after 
leaving Cedar Keys, and we were soon enjoying the com- 
forts of the Russell House, a large and well-kept hotel. 
Afterward we rode about the city and island, visiting the 
exte,nsive water-batteries, the park, and the lighthouse. 
Everything in and about Key West is strange, foreign, 
and interesting. The business houses and public buildings, 
the dwellings, the gardens, lawns, flowers, trees, soil, and 
vegetation, the appearance of the people, their costumes, 
and even their names, all are so un-American and sugges- 
tive of a foreign clime, that it is difficult indeed to realize it 
as one of the busy, enterprising cities of our United States. 
ISTevertheless, in this far-off, isolated community of Uncle 
Sam's family are found the same social sentiments and the 
same interests as among all American citizens. 

Key West has a steady business of exchange and sup- 
ply for all the settlers and retail dealers of that section of 
the State. It is not of the intensely active, Chicago sort of 
business, but it is steady, easy-going, and quiet, as if it were 
fully established and entirely safe and reliable — and knew 
it. Cigar-making is the principal industry, exceeding all 
other interests, employing hundreds of people, mostly Cu- 
bans, occupying numerous large establishments, and pay- 
ing to Uncle Sam an annual revenue of upward of three 
hundred and twenty thousand dollars. A stroll about the 
place at once makes it apparent where the famous Key 
West cigars come from ; everywhere are tobacco-dealers 



THE GULF-COAST AND KEY WEST. 



153 







and cigar-manufactories, and upward of thirty million ci- 
gars were manufactured there in 1880. 

The United States has erected several large, substantial 
structures here, and the public buildings of the county and 



154: FLORIDA. 

city, also the churches — four — the public schools, opera- 
house, etc., are all creditable structures. The Government 
dock, barracks, and forts are all large and costly, this being 
regarded as one of the most important points in the defen- 
sive system of the United States. An unpleasant feature 
is the impossibility of obtaining cool well or spring water. 
Wells can not be sunk, and there are no springs, and the 
inhabitants are obliged to depend on rain-water cisterns or 
condensed supply. Turtling, sponging, mullet-fishing, and 
shell-hunting are important industries. A large number of 
men are engaged in wrecking on the reefs. The popula- 
tion is about eight thousand five hundred. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE SANFOED GRANT AND OEANGE COUNTY. 

The Sanford grant is probably the most extensive land 
enterprise in the State, and is very likely to become the 
center of a most flom^ishing region, unlike anything else of 
the kind attempted in the United States ; for nowhere else 
is there any tract of land with a situation so peculiarly 
advantageous for commercial enterprises, for settlement, 
and for variety of products. 

In 1870 General Henry S. Sanford, of Connecticut, 
made an extensive tour through Florida, closely examining 
her many resources and most advantageous localities, and 
was so impressed with the tract which now bears his name 
that he effected a purchase of it. It was one of the Span- 
ish grants, so frequent wherever Spanish authority existed, 
and so famous for uncertain surveying and legal complica- 
tions. 

The tract embraces twenty-two square miles, compris- 
ing about thirteen thousand acres, nearly all of good qual- 
ity and susceptible of profitable cultivation. It lies on the 
south shore of Lake Monroe, a pretty little inland sea, 
about ten miles long by five miles wide, into which the 
upper St. John's empties, and out of which the larger St. 
John's flows. It is practically at the head of the river nav- 
igation — that is, for the larger and better class of steamers. 
It is one hundred and sixty-five miles from Jacksonville by 
water route, as shown by the United States Coast Survey, 
or about one hundred and ten miles on an air-line. The 



156 FLORIDA. 

St. John's River extends for many miles above, but is a 
small, shallow stream, very narrow, and too crooked for 
description — a winding brook in a flat prairie-land, except 
where it widens out into one of the many lakes of that 
region. None but little steamers of lightest draught at- 
tempt its navigation, and even these can ascend but a short 
distance above Sanford. 

Having carefully considered, as I have said, the many 
advantages which he believed existed there, the General 
completed its purchase, and at once commenced improve- 
ments on a grand scale, clearing off the dense growth of 
timber from a large acreage on the lake-front ; cutting out 
and clearing up a number of broad avenues ; and opening 
up the surrounding country. He also built a fine pier, six 
hundred feet long, in the lake ; erected spacious store- 
houses, and an extensive saw-mill and machine-shop — this 
being one of the largest in the State ; surveyed and located 
the present city of Sanford, deservedly bearing his name ; 
erected the elegant Sanford Hotel, standing in ample and 
well-kept and neatly fenced grounds, its clean, grassy sur- 
face laid out with walks and ornamented with flowers and 
shrubs ; and established a telegraphic line of communica- 
tion with the outside world. 

Everything, except the characteristically tropical fruits, 
thrives exceedingly well here, especially oranges, lemons, 
grapes, and garden-vegetables ; also live-stock. The fa- 
mous Speer grove of oranges is only one and a half mile 
south of Sanford. It contains five hundred and fifty trees, 
standing on a little less than six acres of land. The trees 
are about thirty-five years old, and yield annually from four 
to five hundred thousand oranges. Upward of six hundred 
thousand have been gathered in specially favorable seasons. 
The crop of the season of 1880-'81 was sold on the trees for 
seventeen dollars per thousand, and netted the owner up- 
ward of six thousand eight hundred dollars. An object of 



THE 8ANF0RD GRANT. 15Y 

special interest in this grove is a lemon-tree of great size 
that produces annually from twelve to twenty thousand 
lemons of an excellent quality. Other noted groves of the 
vicinity are those of Markham, Ginn, French, and others. 

Sanford is the northern terminus of the Florida Rail- 
road, now extending twenty-two miles to Orlando, the 
county-seat, and its freight-houses, car-shops, and fine pier 
are completed. The pier, built of palmetto and pitch pine, 
is not excelled by any in the whole country. From one to 
four steamers — several of which are elegant boats — arrive 
at the piers daily. 

Several enterprises are now under consideration that Avill 
add greatly to the importance of the city. Among them 
are a banking-house, a factory for curing Spanish moss for 
upholstery purposes, and an establishment for canning, cur- 
ing, packing, and preserving the delicate fruits of this re- 
gion. The bank is much needed, and the other schemes 
are sure to be of great benefit, offering a near and trust- 
worthy market for all fruit-crops. 

The city has good schools, two good halls, and about 
thirty well-established commercial houses, and transacted a 
business of nearly eight hundred thousand dollars in 1880. 
The Episcopalians have a very attractive church-edifice, 
built through the efforts of Mrs. General Sanford. 

There is a demand for labor in Sanford, especially 
skilled labor, such as that of carpenters ; in fact, one of the 
drawbacks has been scarcity of mechanics — and I happen 
to know of several parties who are now delayed in the 
prosecution of their intended improvements by the lack of 
labor. 

From the beginning of his enterprise, this has been a 
serious trouble to the General in his improvements. At 
first, he attempted to employ colored labor ; but in those 
days, about the years 1870-'74, the "cracker" natives that 
lived scattered about this region were bitterly opposed to 



158 FLORIDA. 

the "niggers," and made it difficult to keep that class of 
labor ; for the " crackers " were vicious and ignorant, and 
law was practically an unknown and repudiated quantity. 
In 1871 the General decided to try foreign labor on the 
colonization system, sent an agent to Upsala, in Sweden, 
and at his sole expense brought over a colony of one hun- 
dred of these people, for whom he erected cabins, giving to 
each a homestead of five acres of good land. This answered 
very well for a time, but there were restless and turbulent 
members in the party, and one day, incited by up-country 
politicians, some of them deserted and went to seek higher 
wages at Jacksonville. By great efforts, the agent of the 
General succeeded in inducino; them to return to their homes 
and vocations, and to-day, after seven years, they are 
among the thriftiest, happiest, and most prosperous people 
in all Florida. It is an incident worthy of mention, perhaps, 
that one of them a short time ago sold his little property for 
five thousand five hundred dollars, for the purpose of enter- 
ing another line of business. Yet he had less than nothing 
(for he owed for his passage) when he arrived in Sanford 
seven years since, and was one of the leading opponents of 
the General's scheme for their benefit. Recently the Gen- 
eral has brought over more Swedes, and also some Poles 
and Italians. All are busily at work, and apparently con- 
tented. 

The population of Sanford and the closely adjacent 
country is now about one thousand, and the healthiness of 
the region is sufficiently demonstrated by the fact that the 
number of deaths in 1880 wasj^ue, of which tioo were from 
accidental causes. 

Hunting and fishing are excellent all through this region. 
One day in February of the present year, Mr. Knowlton, a 
guest at the hotel, went out fishing on Lake Monroe, and in 
the afternoon caught one hundred and forty pounds of fine 
black bass, the most delicious of eating. It excited no par- 



THE 8ANF0ED GRANT. I59 

ticiilar comment, for others, so I Avas assured, have fre- 
quently beaten that score. 

Three miles from Sanford is Belair, the special grove of 
the General, a fine estate of one hundred and twenty-five 
acres, all fenced and under the highest cultivation. Here 
are thousands of orange, lemon, and lime trees, and pine- 
apple-plants, including nearly every known variety of these, 
and hundreds of other foreign and native tropical plants, 
fruits, and shrubs. A visit thither is very interesting, and 
a cordial welcome is extended to all. 

Indian-corn, sugar-cane, cotton, tobacco, rice, strawber- 
ries, cabbages, tomatoes, watermelons, and all garden prod- 
ucts, yield immense crops in the soil around Sanford. 
During last February — an exceptionally cold month for the 
season — I visited a number of gardens, where the vege- 
tables were growing just as finely, as rapidly, as prolifically, 
and with as little requirement of labor, as in any soil, any- 
where, at any season. From one garden, comprising three 
quarters of an acre, four crops had been taken, during the 
preceding twelve months, by using a moderate amount of 
fertilizer. Think of that — -four crops in one year ! 

The " South Florida Journal," a well-conducted sheet, 
owned and edited by two live newspaper-men from Ohio, 
is published weekly at Sanford. The climate is pleasant, 
and enjoyable all the year ; there is no month that is spe- 
cially uncomfortable by reason of cold or heat ; nor are 
mosquitoes and gnats more aggravating than wherever 
they exist in other regions. 

The settlers on this grant are mostly recent arrivals, who 
come from all parts of the country. Besides the foreign 
colonies, there are colonies from New York, Ohio, and Wis- 
consin. The Hon. Thurlow Weed, General O. H. Babcock, 
Senator H. B. Anthony, and several other prominently 
known gentlemen, own fine groves on the grant. 

General Sanford lives much abroad, and the management 



160 . FLORIDA. 

of his vast estate, with its multiplied interests, devolves 
upon the resident agent, Mr. J. E. Ingraham, a native of 
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is not many years since Mr. In- 
graham came to Florida in what was supposed to be the 
final stage of consumption ; yet no one, to see him now, 
would suppose that he had not always been in the enjoy- 
ment of vigorous health. He is also the President of the 
South Florida Railroad. 

Another energetic and enterprising citizen of Sanford, 
to whom the people of the city and of the grant — in fact, 
of all Orange County — are much indebted, is Mr. George 
H. Sawyer, of Massachusetts (a resident of Sanford since 
1875), proprietor of the " City Hotel " and owner of one of 
the finest gardens in the State. This garden alone, demon- 
strating as it does the feasibility of a first-rate vegetable- 
garden in South Florida, entitles him to special mention. 
During the entire winter his hotel tables are loaded with 
the best of squashes, cabbages, celery, ca^uliflower, peas, 
string-beans, tomatoes, potatoes, radishes, beets, etc., daily 
culled from the garden. His efforts in displaying Orange 
County resources at the recent State Fair in Jacksonville 
(season of 1880-'81) had great effect in directing thither 
the tide of immigration that is now flowing in ; and he is 
a prominent mover in all local enterprises. 

On the 22d of February, 1881, a county fair was held at 
Sanford, which was peculiarly interesting as a dis]3lay of 
what this portion of Florida can do in the way of midwin- 
ter products. Instead of describing it myself, I will quote 
some passages from a report prepared by Dr. J. L. Richard- 
son, who spent the winter in Orange County, for the Mount 
Sterling (Kentucky) " Democrat." He says : 

" This exhibition was projected as a county fair, to ex- 
hibit to the country the actual products of Orange County, 
in the midst of the severest and most protracted winter the 
States have ever experienced, and place upon record such 



THE SANFORD GRANT. 161 

facts as demonstrate the possibilities of cheap, comfortable, 
and profitable living. 

" On entering the grounds, the first thing that attrjact- 
ed attention was the line of coops containing poultry in 
their glossy and peculiar costumes. They were all unex- 
ceptionable specimens of their respective species, and their 
handsome and healthful appearance gives evidence of cli- 
matic adaptation. Considering the domestic convenience 
and the aggregate value of this department, it deserves a 
large share of the public attention. The geese were worthy 
of notice for their size and fine development. Their feath- 
ers were evidently finer, although, perhaps, not affording so 
large a yield as in a northern climate. The turkeys, being 
in their native latitude, were enabled to entertain their ad- 
mirers with unsurpassed domestic accomplishments, while 
the Muscovy ducks were equal to the best of their kind. 
The f antail pigeons were beautifully attractive, and showed 
that South Florida might become quite as noted and finan- 
cially valuable in her dove-cotes as old Spain herself. 

" The sugar-cane and its products, as exhibited by Mr. G. 
W. Crawford, of his own growth and manufacture, were of a 
superior quality, and develops a very interesting and impor- 
tant department of industry. Mr. Crawford, who lives a few 
miles south of Orlando, is one of the most enterprising and 
successful farmers in Orange County, and besides the pre- 
ceding he exhibited green j)eas, turnips, tropical yams, sweet- 
potatoes, corn, cabbages, etc., all of mammoth growth. This 
tropical yam produces enormous tubers of a black color, 
and equal to the Irish potato in every respect, but of finer 
flavor. It grows rapidly from any small section of the root, 
and continues to grow as long as it is in the ground. 

" There were turnips measuring three feet in circumfer- 
ence ; cabbages weighing from twelve to fifteen pounds, 
and radishes as much as nine pounds, solid and brittle. The 
Mean luxuriaas, or Te-o-sin-te — grass of the gods — exhibit- 
ed by Dr. Kenworthy, is eight or nine feet long, and re- 
sembles corn-fodder, and is said to be very prolific, yield- 
ing from fifty to one hundred tons per acre. Heads of let- 
tuce that would cover a dinner-plate looked fresh and crisp ; 
while onions, leeks, kale, parsnips, etc., lay around in rich 
profusion. Potatoes planted on Christmas-day were of fine 
size for table use, and altogether it would be difiicult to im- 



162 FLORIDA. 

agine a more splendid and attractive show of garden-vege- 
tables, maturing in the open garden while all the other 
States lay congealed in the icy chains of winter. The cau- 
liflowers raised near Sanford, for size and beauty, were ob- 
jects of surprise ; some of the bloom measured fifteen inches 
in diameter, being compact and solid. The pineapples were 
in every stage of development, while the matured ones 
were large and attractive. The cassava, with its products 
of beautiful starch and nutritious tapioca manufactured in 
the- county, demand especial notice as articles of utility and 
profitable manufacture. The display of arrow-root from 
eighteen inches to two feet long was sufficient evidence that 
this part of Florida will produce it in as fine perfection as 
Bermuda. The root is tapering at each end — beautifully 
white, and jointed like a bamboo. 

"Tomatoes hanging on vines recently dug up intruded 
their plump and rosy cheeks upon your attention. There 
were also pepper-plants with mature fruit upon them grown 
without protection, and the tender banana with its purple 
and peculiar bloom. All the members of the citrus family 
were present, with their aprons full of the yellow and golden 
fruits just gathered from the grove. The Japan plum and 
fine varieties of strawberries were well represented. These 
facts are only stated in justice to show that the inclemency 
of the 2^(^st winter — fo7' it is i^cist here — has not materially 
interrupted the delicate fruit and vegetable crop of Orange 
County. Cotton and tobacco were also on exhibition, both 
of which can be raised on some lands profitably. 

*' There was quite a varied and handsome display in the 
floral and botanical departments, embracing divers speci- 
mens of the coleus, ferns, Brazilian plants, pampas-grass, 
jaunty jasmines, etc." 

Beginning at Sanford, and bringing to it the products 
of the best portion of Orange County, the South Florida 
Railroad runs southwest twenty-two miles to Orlando, the 
county-seat. The first spadeful of earth in the grading of 
the line was turned by General Grant, on the 10th of Janu- 
ary, 1880 ; and the road has the further distinction of being 
the only " newspaper railroad " in the world — it was built 
and is owned by the proprietors of the " Boston Herald," 



THE 8ANF0BD GRANT. 163 

who conceived the plan and carried it out with journalistic 
promptitude and vigor. It is a narrow-gauge road (three 
feet between the rails), is thoroughly w^ell constructed and 
equipped, and is the pioneer in what is destined to be a 
great railway system when present plans are perfected. 

The first station after leaving Sanford (three miles out) 
is Belair, the site of General Sanford's famous grove, al- 
ready described. Two miles beyond is Bent's, a place where 
a number of young orange-groves are about to come into 
bearing ; and two and a half miles beyond Bent's is Sol- 
dier Creek. Longwood station is nine and a half miles 
from Sanford ; Snow's is three miles farther ; and three 
miles farther still is Maitland, the most important point 
on this portion of the line. Maitland is a scattered lit- 
tle hamlet, comprising four or five business houses, and 
enjoys the distinction of possessing the finest public hall 
in the State (Pack wood Hall). Here also is a large ho- 
tel, which is open during the winter season. The adja- 
cent region consists of what is called high pine-land, in- 
terspersed with occasional tracts of rich hammock, and is 
dotted with numerous small lakes, some of which are per- 
fect gems of landscape beauty, while all abound in fish. 
In the neighborhood are many improved homes and large 
orange-groves. Among the latter is one owned by Bishop 
H. B. Whipple, of the Diocese of Minnesota ; and a very 
fine one, seen on the left from the cars, is the property of 
Mr. B. R. Swoope, superintendent and general manager of 
the railroad. One of the pleasantest places in the vicinity 
is that of Mr. George H. Packwood, crowning a crest which 
slopes up gently from the shore of the lovely Lake Sybelia. 
He has a large orange-grove and one of the most extensive 
grape-arbors in the State, together with pineapples and 
other semi-tropical fruits. 

The next station south of Maitland (two miles distant) 
is Osceola. This also is a pretty region of high pine-lnnds. 



16i FLORIDA. 

comprisiDg many fine orange-groves, and settled for the 
most part by Northern people. Up to this point the coun- 
try traversed is level or but slightly undulating, with far- 
stretching pine-woods, and a light, sandy soil. Near Or- 
lando the character of the country changes, the surface 
becomes more rolling and hilly, the soil is darker and richer, 
the lakes are surrounded by what in this section are called 
" bluif s," and the scenery is more picturesque and pleasing. 
Here is the high table land of Central Florida, the natural 
water-shed — for an examination of the map will show the 
streams flowing east, west, north, and south from this high 
plateau. 

Two miles this side of Orlando (twenty miles from San- 
ford) is Interlaken, formerly Wilcox, a place which is 
growing with great rapidity, and which seems destined to 
become the home of an unusually estimable class of resi- 
dents, many of them of the cultivated and thrifty New 
England type. Among the settlers here are such men as 
ex-Governor Pilsbury, of Maine, and the Hon. John G. 
Sinclair, of New Hampshire, the latter of whom has thrown 
himself with ardor into the development of the place, and 
now has, besides a growing orange-grove, a cassava starch- 
factory, a saw-mill, and a cotton-gin. Here, also, is the 
home (" Waverley Hall ") of Major M. R. Marks, one of the 
most famous characters of this region, and in fact one of 
the best-known men in the entire State — for every one who 
does not know him personally knows some of the innumer- 
able anecdotes about him. Originally from Georgia, he 
has lived in Florida for nearly twenty years, has contributed 
greatly to the development of Orange County, is considered 
perfect authority on land-values, and is always loaded with 
" a big bargain." Nearly all the real-estate transactions of 
the entire region are consummated through him, or through 
Mr. Sinclair, who also does an extensive business as a land- 
agent. Some of the prettiest lakes in the State surround 



THE 8ANF0RD GRANT. 165 

Interlaken on nearly all sides, and there is one connected 
chain upon which a boat-ride of at least twenty miles can 
be enjoyed. The scenery of these lakes is exquisite, and 
one is constantly tempted to exclaim, " What a lovely place 
that is, on that knoll, for a home ! " A good hotel here 
would be sure to attract many visitors, and there is a proba- 
bility that such a one will be erected soon. 

Orlando, the county-seat, is an old place, typical of the 
South, a genuine native community of the kind that the 
traveler finds in all sections of the State, almost always 
located in a beautiful, bountiful region, where ISTature has 
done everything to aid and please, and where man seems 
indisposed to do anything. The " boom " that has enlivened 
every other spot in Orange County seems to have left Or- 
lando comparatively untouched ; yet there is no other local- 
ity that oifers greater attractions, for the soil is exception- 
ally fertile and productive, plenty of timber is convenient, 
and the surrounding country, studded with little lakes, is 
remarkably pleasing. A court-house and a jail are among 
the most conspicuous features of the place, but neither these 
nor the residences are kept in that trim and neat condition 
that in Florida, as elsewhere, marks the presence of the 
Northern settler. The hotel is charmingly located in the 
midst of an orange-grove ; and the entire region, on ac- 
count of its elevation, perhaps, enjoys a remarkable exemp- 
tion from mosquitoes, sand-flies, and the other insect-pests. 
The *' Orange County Reporter " is published here by an 
energetic Western man, and is one of the best local papers 
in the State. 

For the present, the South Florida Railroad ends at Or- 
lando, but this is only temporary, and preparations are be- 
ing made for its extension southwest. Its ultimate destina- 
tion is Charlotte Harbor, on the Gulf -coast, of which a de- 
scription is given in a previous chapter. Several branch 
lines are also projected, and the one to Lake Tohopeka- 



166 FLORIDA. 

liga will probably be completed by the time this book ap- 
pears, opening up a very ricb and attractive section. 

Orange County, which comprises all the above-men- 
tioned places, and which extends westward to the beautiful 
Lake Eustis region described in another chapter, is better 
known than any other portion of the interior of the State, 
and has succeeded in securing a larger share of the immi- 
gration that has lately set in from the North and West. 
More activity and public spirit are exhibited there than 
elsewhere, and more pains are taken to collect and dissemi- 
nate information as to its resources and advantages. Part- 
ly for these reasons, and partly because it is a typical coun- 
ty of the central portion of South Florida, I shall quote 
somewhat extensively from an article descriptive of its re- 
sources and advantages, which appeared recently in the 
" Orange County Reporter," and which is understood to 
have been written jointly by Major Marks and the Hon. 
John G. Sinclair : 

" Orange County lies in the very heart of the Peninsula 
of Florida, and on the highlands of the narrowest portion 
of the peninsula. From this county flow streams to the 
north, south, east, and west, showing at a glance that it is 
the highest region lying between the ocean and the Gulf. 
It is thus exposed to both east and west winds, which ef- 
fectually drive away malaria. Except in the low and heav- 
ily timbered lands on lakes and rivers, fevers are almost 
unknown. There are no prevailing diseases common to 
this portion of the State ; and, semi-tropical as it is, no case 
of yellow fever or cholera has ever been known here. Even 
the vaunted health resorts of Colorado show a death-rate 
among the resident population of double that of Orange 
County ; while, of the invalid and tourist class, the death- 
rate in that much-advertised region is fully ten times as 
great as among the same class here. The late Government 
census shows but thirty-one deaths in a population of 6,618 
in Orange County for the year ending June 1, 1880. This 
includes all classes and all causes. This immunity from 



ORANGE COUNTY. 167 

sickness is due first to pure water, and secondly to tlie pre- 
vailing winds which carry away all malarial poisons, and at 
the same time modify the temperature to so great an ex- 
tent, during both summer and winter months. A record 
kept by a careful observer, for the past year, shows that 
the highest point recorded by the mercury last summer was 
97° ; the lowest the present winter 34° — a less variation of 
temperature in a whole year than is frequently experienced 
in higher latitudes in twenty-four hours. The residents of 
Orange County are free from those sudden climatic changes 
which are so severe a tax upon the vital energies of residents 
of the Northern States. Colds are therefore rare and never 
severe, and catarrh among old residents is rarely found. 

" Orange County lies on the west side of the St. John's 
River, that stream forming the eastern boundary of the coun- 
ty. It contains about sixty-one Congressional townships. 
Its northern extremity touches Lake George ; its south- 
ern reaches and includes Lake Tahopekaliga. Lying upon 
both the eastern and western borders are chains of large 
lakes ; the largest, Lake Apopka, upon the west, covering 
an area of fifty-six square miles. The interior is thickly 
dotted with lakes of smaller size, ranging from an acre to a 
thousand acres in extent. The water in these lakes is pure 
and soft. The bottoms and shores are sandy and hard. In 
all of them fish abound, and the angler can find plenty of 
sport. Upon the high pine-lands surrounding these little 
lakes, beautiful building-sites can be found, where a home 
can be made and embellished with all the shrubs and flowers 
that can be grown in a semi-tropical region. It is here that 
semi-tropical fruits flourish and reach a degree of develop- 
ment not surpassed in any part of the world. Oranges, 
lemons, limes, citrons, guavas, figs, bananas, and pineapples 
reach perfection here, and their culture, for either profit or 
personal gratification, is attended with the most satisfactory 
results. . . . Strawberries and grapes also do well. The 
former fruit begins ripening in January and continues until 
May. With the full development of the resources of the 
county, the culture of this fruit will receive attention. It 
ripens at a season of the year when there is little danger of 
loss in transportation, and when people in the larger cities 
in the North would be willing to pay exorbitant prices for 
the fresh fruit. ... 
8 



168 FLORIDA. 

" Nine tenths of the failures in orange-culture that have 
occurred up to this date are due to indolence and misman- 
agement. Intelligent industry has always been rewarded 
with success. The orange has natural enemies in the scale 
and other insects, but good care will overcome all of these. 
The only enemy to the citrus family that can not be suc- 
cessfully combated by man is the frost, and it is here that 
Orange County has an advantage over any region lying to 
the north of us. Its elevated position and numei'ous lakes 
afford a protection from frosts that, in spite of all claims 
to the contrary, is not possessed by any portion of the 
State north of Lake George. The recent cold weather — 
the coldest with one exception in forty-eight years, and in 
some localities the coldest since 1833 — did not damage the 
trees or fruit in Orange County. This statement is made 
in the teeth of all contrary assertions, and in proof of the 
claim we invite an inspection of the groves of Orange 
County just at this time, before there has been time for 
trees to recover from the effects of the cold. We do not 
claim that we had no frost. It is not even pretended that 
no injury was done in this county. Tender vegetables in 
the garden were killed or damaged, and those who were 
engaged in vegetable - gardening were subjected to loss. 
But neither trees nor fruit were injured, with the exception 
of the guavas in a few exposed situations, as there is abun- 
dant evidence here to show. . . . 

" Cotton, sugar, and rice can be successfully and profit- 
ably grown upon a large portion of the lands of Orange 
County. Where an attempt has been made, upland rice 
has proved a successful crop on the high pine-lands. The 
cotton-crop of the present year has in most cases proved a 
profitable one, and the sugar and sirup crop, just now 
being marketed, has amply repaid all effort. The sugar- 
crop has received but little attention for years, owing to 
the difiiculties attending the marketing of the product, and 
the consequent low prices offered by local buyers. The 
present year shows a little improvement in prices, and 
there is reason to believe that coming years will give a 
marked improvement in this respect. IJpon the margins 
of these beautiful lakes there are large areas of land adapt- 
ed, both by character and situation, to the production of 
sugar. And it is a significant and suggestive fact that 



OBANOE COUNTY. 169 

while envious portions of the State and the South are 
claiming that old Orange County was as severely injured 
by the late cold weather as any other region, our planters 
are now, three weeks after the cold wave, engaged in 
grinding cane and making sugar, and the quality is not 
affected. . . . 

" Winter gardening will pay a larger per cent, on the 
capital and labor invested than the most successful agri- 
cultural operations in the North. It is not claimed that a 
larger yield per acre can be secured in Florida than in the 
fertile valleys of the Mississippi and Missouri. But a rea- 
sonably good crop can be grown here at a season of the 
year when the farmers of the North are ice-bound and can 
raise nothing. A bushel of tomatoes grown in the North 
will net the producer one dollar. The crop comes into 
market just at a time when every farmer and gardener 
has produce to sell. The market is soon overdone, and the 
price gets so low that it will not pay for picking and mar- 
keting. One dollar per bushel for the season would be a 
good average price. A bushel of tomatoes grown in Flor- 
ida and put into the New York market from December to 
February, will frequently net the grower ten dollars. Five 
dollars could always be depended upon, and thus the Flor- 
ida truck-grower has an advantage over his Northern com- 
petitor in being able to get his products into market at a 
season of the year when he can find a ready sale at fancy 
prices, instead of seeing them go begging in an overstocked 
market at a starvation price. The fruit-growing industry 
will always be the chief attraction of this region. But, 
while the fruit-grower is waiting for his trees to come into 
bearing, he must manage to live. To do this he can engage 
in market-gardening, sugar-growing, or raising cassava for 
the starch-mills, and thus secure a fair income and a good 
living from the start. Any of these he can do without in 
any way interfering with the culture of his grove ; and, 
indeed, while the trees are small, vegetables can be grown 
among them to advantage. The cost of living is light. 
Fuel costs nothing, and the family clothing will not exceed 
one half what is necessary in the North. . . . 

" Orange County is to-day attracting more attention and 
increasing faster in population than any other county in the 
State. Its rolling, high pine-lands, lying along the heights 



170 FLORIDA. 

wliicli divide the waters of the ocean and the Gulf, are un- 
doubtedly the best drained and as well adapted to the cult- 
ure of the orange and all semi-tropical fruits as any in the 
State, and to these advantages in this respect may be added 
absolute exemption from damaging frost. Here, too, the 
water is as pure and as sweet as in New England, and there 
is entire exemption from fever and ague and other mala- 
rious diseases found in lower sections of the State. From 
September to April the climate is much like the finest 
Indian-summer days of the North, while from April to 
September the mercury rarely registers more than 96°. 
Situated on the narrow part of the peninsula, alternate 
breezes from the Gulf and the ocean modify the heat and 
render the nights cool and comfortable ; and the universal 
expression of people settled here from the North and West 
is, that while the heat is more uniform and longer contin- 
ued, it never reaches the extreme heat of the places from 
which they came, and that their summers spent here have, 
on the whole, been quite as comfortable as those of their 
former homes. National official statistics show that the 
death-rate of the State of Florida is two and three fourths 
per cent., while that of New Hampshire is three per cent,, 
and in other New England States and in the West the per- 
centage is still larger. In Orange County, in a population 
of upward of seven thousand, the late census returns show 
only thirty-one deaths for the year ending June 1, 1880. 

" How does the summer heat affect a Northern man ? is a 
question frequently asked. The best reply is the fact that 
sunstroke is unknown, and that with reasonable precautions 
there is no more inconvenience from heat here than in the 
North. The writer came from the North last May, just at 
the unfavorable time of the year. For the first time in five 
years he was able to follow his business through the entire 
summer ; and was free from that general letting down of 
the nervous forces experienced for years while following 
his profession in Iowa. 

" The highest point recorded by the mercury last summer 
was 97° ; the lowest reached the present winter — and this 
has been the coldest since 1857, and with one exception 
since 1835 — is 34°, showing a total annual range of 63°. 
In the boasted health-resorts of Colorado we have expe- 
rienced a greater variation than this within twenty-four 



ORANGE COUNTY. 171 

hours. It is its equable temperature and absolute freedom 
from sudden changes that make South Florida so desirable 
a region for people suffering with throat and lung affections 
and catarrh. If the latter disease is curable, a residence 
here will effect a cure. 

'* An idea prevalent, particularly in the North, is that our 
State swarms with reptile and insect life, while the fact is 
that in this locality at least we are as exempt from both as 
any in the country. The writer of this article has yet to 
see his first rattlesnake or moccasin, though he has spent 
much time in bunting and fishing, and* traversing the for- 
ests, for the last year. 

" We have mosquitoes here, but neither so numerous nor 
troublesome as in the city of Boston. Sand-flies abound in 
some sections of the State, but not here. Our land is what 
is called high pine, dotted with hundreds of clear-water 
lakes, upon the shores of which are the finest orange and 
fruit lands in the world ; not only the orange, but the lem- 
on, lime, banana, pineapple, grape, guava, citron, fig, straw- 
berry, and all semi-tropical fruits can be produced in abun- 
dance and with large profit. Turnips, squashes, beets, cu- 
cumbers, cabbages, onions, and all vegetables are raised 
quite as easily here as elsewhere, and find ready sale in 
Northern markets at remunerative prices. Cotton, sugar- 
cane, tobacco, cassava, arrow-root, etc., can be profitably 
raised. Transportation to and from the cities of New York 
and Boston is cheaper from this point than from either of 
those cities to the interior of Maine, New Hampshire, or 
Vermont. For instance, the freight on oranges per box, 
from Sanford to Boston, is sixty-five cents ; barrels of 
starch, eighty cents per barrel, and other merchandise pro- 
portionately low. The St. John's River, navigable by large 
steamers with which we are connected by twenty miles of 
rail, opens to us, by water communication and cheapest 
rates of transportation, the best markets of the world. 

" Much valuable land is now open to the actual settler, 
and may be had by others from Government price, at points 
remote from transportation, to five, ten, twenty, thirty, and 
up to one hundred dollars or more per acre at points imme- 
diately on the railroads, or lakes connecting with the rail. 
Ten acres of land is amply suflicient for a grove of five 
hundred trees. Here as elsewhere there is more danger of 



172 FLORIDA, 

cultivating too much than too little land, and it is gener- 
ally better to buy five acres near transportation than fifty 
acres more remote, for the purpose of fruit-growing, on 
account of the trouble, expense, and damage to fruit by 
teaming. 

" We are asked if capital can be profitably invested 
here. There are virgin forests of the finest pine, cedar, 
cypress, and oak in the Union for sale at low prices. The 
rapid disappearance of that class of timber in the IS'orth 
and West, and the immense local demand for building and 
fencing — for here we have no stone for fencing — and the 
material for boxes for fruit and vegetables Avill give a sure 
and more rapid advance to these timber-lands than has 
been witnessed in any State in the Union. Here, too, 
money can be loaned on security as safe as United States 
bonds, at from ten to fifteen per cent, per annum. Here, 
too, are gigantic unimproved water-powers, surrounded by 
the finest cotton-growing lands in the Union. We need 
tanneries, boot and shoe and furniture manufactories, car- 
riage-builders, etc. 

" The State laws exempt to every head of a family a 
homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in the country, 
or half an acre in town, together with one thousand dollars' 
worth of such personal property as the owner may select. 
The legal rate of interest is eight per cent., but contracts 
may be made for any rate. Taxes are rather high, the pres- 
ent rate of assessment in this county for all purposes being 
one dollar and fifty-five cents per hundred dollars. But 
this is on a valuation entirely too low. The State Treas- 
ury is solvent, paying cash on all warrants drawn against 
it, and the bonded debts of the State are gradually being 
reduced, and interest is paid thereon promptly." 



CHAPTER XI. 

EAiq^DOM SKETCHES. 

An Ocean Voyage in Winter. 

One of the pleasantest incidents of a visit to Florida, if 
the journey be made by water, as it should be, if possible, 
is the sea-voyage thither. To the resident of ISTew York 
and the Eastern section of the North the opportunity thus 
to go to the tropics by sea is afforded weekly by the Mal- 
lory Steamship Line (Pier 20, East River), the only ocean- 
route to Florida from the North which involves no change 
or transfer. The steamships of this line that make the Flor- 
ida trip direct from New York to Jacksonville, stopping at 
Port Royal and Fernandina, are the Western Texas, of 
twelve hundred and ten tons. Captain Hines, and the City 
of San Antonio, fifteen hundred and forty-seven tons. Cap- 
tain Risk ; and it is sufficient to say of them that they are 
first-class sea-going passenger-steamers, built of iron on the 
most approved models, provided with all known appliances 
for safety and comfort, and fitted up with elegance and 
taste. 

In making the journey by this sea-route the contrast 
between the two regions and climates is much more marked 
and noticeable than in going by land. Leaving New York 
in the midst of winter, the tourist sees pass by him in glis- 
tening panorama the snow-clad hills and shores of Long 
Island and Staten Island, feels the chilling blasts, and gladly 
seeks the warm and cozy cabin to escape the discomfort 



174 FLOBIBA. 

of the cold. Slippers and easy coats are donned, pipes and 
papers are produced, cards and dominoes are called for ; 
and soon, without formal introductions, the passengers are 
rapidly becoming friends (and what friendships are so 
warm and unreserved as those formed on a sea-voyage ?). 

Next morning land is nowhere to be seen ; you are out 
on the vasty deep, and quite likely it is a surprise to you to 
find that it is so smooth and calm. Very many people on 
their first sea-voyage allow their imaginations to be stimu- 
lated and their apprehensions aroused by the accounts which 
they then recall of terrible storms and waves " mountain- 
high," of plunging and straining ships, of iron-bound and 
dangerous coasts, and the like ; but while all these things 
are possible, yet, like the possible frightful railway accident, 
they are seldom seen or experienced. In spite of the general 
impression to the contrary, the weather along the Atlantic 
coast of America is nearly always fair and agreeable. The 
writer has made several passages around the famous Cape 
Hatteras, and each time had the good fortune to find it 
like a journey on an inland lake. Each time the waters 
were mirror-like in their smoothness, and this experience, 
by no means a rare one, has produced a skeptical feeling 
in regard to that cape of so many disagreeable stories. 
Moreover, even should "rough weather" be encountered, 
the worst to be feared is an acute attack of the mal-de-mer, 
and a prolongation of the time consumed by the voyage. 
Of downright danger there may be said to be none, such a 
thing as a serious accident to one of these stanch coast- 
wise steamers being among the rarest of occurrences. 

The second day, schools of porpoises begin to appear, 
flying-fish and jelly-fish are often to be seen, occasional 
glimpses of the coast to the west are obtained, and the 
polite officers are kept busy pointing out and giving the 
names of the tall, warning lighthouses that are almost con- 
stantly in sight. At Port Royal a short stay is made, the 



AN OCEAN VOYAGE IN WINTER. 175 

passengers flock on shore, and here yoii first begin to realize 
that you have left the dreary regions of winter behind. As 
he nears the wharf, the tourist will begin to think that, in 
the number of smells at least, it resembles the city of Co- 
logne. This, however, is due to the vast quantity of fer- 
tilizers which is constantly on storage near by. 

Next day — the fourth from New York — Fernandina is 
reached, a lovely island city of broad streets, and ample 
flower-gardens surrounding handsome houses. Here we get 
our first near view of the palmetto and the orange-tree, and 
of that teeming luxuriance of vegetation which marks a 
semi-tropical clime. Again on board, and seven hours later 
the steamer is passing swiftly up the broad and beautiful 
St. John's River, affording on either hand a continuous 
panorama of the most pleasing and novel scenery. Soon 
the mighty screw ceases to revolve, we round gracefully up 
to the pier, good-bys are hastily exchanged, and the tourist 
is in Jacksonville,* the social headquarters in winter, and 
the chief commercial center of the Land of Flowers. Here 
at last he finds June in January ; and, as he discards his 
overcoat and takes his farewell glance at the steamer which 
brought him thither, he will be apt to recall Thomas Bu- 
chanan Read's suggestive and graceful lines : 

" Yon deep bark goes 
"Where traffic blows 
From lands of sun to lands of snows ; 
This happier one 
Its race is run 
From lands of snow to lands of sun." 

* Since the foregoing was written, a change of plan has occurred, by 
which the steamers of the Mallory Line stop at Fernandina, and passengers 
are carried to Jaclcsonvillc in one and a half hour by the new short-cut 
railroad. It is understood that this arrangement is only temporary, and 
the steamers will, in the near future, resume their through trips direct lo 
Jacksonville. 



176 FLORIDA. 

The Atlantic Coast of Florida. 

On its Atlantic seaboard Florida presents some curious 
physical features. Along its entire extent there are no good 
harbors, except at Fernandina and St. Augustine, and the 
soundings are shoal for some distance out ; yet just back of 
the coast-line, for a distance of over three hundred miles 
south of the mouth of the St. John's River, there is a suc- 
cession of streams and lakes and lagoons which afford almost 
uninterrupted inland water communication along more than 
two thirds of the total length of the peninsula. The most 
important link in this chain of waters — the Indian River — 
is fully described elsewhere. At the northern extremity of 
Indian River a canal, two thousand feet long, known as the 
Haulover, leads into the Mosquito Lagoon, which extends 
northward about twelve miles to Oak Hill, and then, through 
the Devil's Elbow, connects with the Hillsboro River. The 
latter extends northward about fifteen miles, and then be- 
comes known as the Halifax River, which begins about 
twenty-four miles south of St. Augustine. All this portion 
of the State is exceptionally attractive, with a fine climate, 
excellent sea-beaches, rich soil, and a varied capacity for 
production. Its chief need at present is easy and certain 
connection with the natural markets for its ^^I'oducts ) and 
this is likely to be afforded by a canal which the Lake 
Okechobee Land Company propose to include in the great 
system of public improvements which they have undertaken 
to carry out. 

Their plan is to construct a continuous line of canal, 
suitable for commodious steamers of light draught, begin- 
ning at a point at or near the confluence of Pablo Creek 
and the St. John's River, and extending thence in a south- 
erly direction to and including Lake Worth, a total distance 
of about three hundred and thirty miles. In this connection 
the following passages from a " Report to the Company," by 



THE ATLANTIC COAST OF FLORIDA. 177 

the civil engineer (Mr. James E. Kreamer), who examined 
the proposed route in the spring of 1881, will prove inter- 
esting : 

" In constructing the Coast Canal from the St. John's 
River south, advantage may be taken of the waters of 
Pablo Creek, North River, Mantanzas River, Mata Compra, 
and Smith's or Haulover Creek, Halifax and Hillsboro Rivers, 
Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, St. Lucie Sound, Jupiter 
Narrows, Lake Worth Creek, and Lake Worth. All of the 
above-named waters are adjacent to, and generally parallel 
with, the east coast of Florida, being separated from the 
ocean by peninsulas and extended narrow islands, varying 
in width from a few yards to several miles. These inland 
waters, affording an almost unbroken line of communica- 
tion, may, at a reasonably moderate expenditure in system- 
atic construction presenting no embarrassing engineering 
problems, be developed into a great canal, possessing features 
peculiarly its own. Merely where the artificial work of join- 
ing river to river is performed can it be regarded as a canal 
proper, as from these points it develops into those majestic 
arms of the sea, from thirty to one hundred miles in length, 
varying from one to six miles in width, bordered on either 
side by a country enjoying unbounded agricultural resources, 
a semi-tropical luxuriance in beauty of foliage, scenery of an 
exceedingly varied and picturesque character, and blessed 
with a climate throughout the entire year the most equable 
and salubrious enjoyed by any State in the Union. 

" From St. Augustine the Mantanzas River extends in a 
southerly direction a distance of twenty-five miles, with an 
average width of one half mile. Its waters are salt and 
tidal, and with the exception of isolated bars, and a ral)id 
shoaling for a distance of three miles from the head of the 
river, there is a fair channel for light-draught boats. Anas- 
tasia Island, which acts as a breakwater for the harbor of 
St. Augustine, forms the eastern shore-line for a distance of 
eighteen miles to Mantanzas Inlet. The natural surface is 
not so elevated as on the west shore, and is composed in 
part of shell-land and black, loamy sand, capable of produc- 
ing profitable crops. On the mainland are beautiful groves 
of pine, red cedar, and oak. Desirable cleared land is worth 
from fifty to one hundred dollars per acre, depending on 



178 FLORIDA, 

location and richness of soil. South of Mantanzas Inlet the 
river rapidly contracts in width and depth to its junction 
with Pellicers Creek, at Avhich j^oint the work of construct- 
ing that portion of the canal connecting the Halifax River 
properly begins, consisting of a cut eighteen miles in length. 
In this operation advantage may be taken of the Mantan- 
zas to its junction with the Mata Compra Creek, thence 
generally following this stream to its head, from which, for 
a distance of six miles, the route crosses the country to the 
source of Smith's Creek, which will have to be deepened 
and straightened to within four miles of the head of the 
Halifax. The country to the west of this portion of the 
line consists of flat woods, prairie, savannas, high and low 
hammock of oak, palmetto, wild-orange, etc.; the surface 
undulating, soil sandy, and, judging from the topography 
and general indications, the opening of this section of the 
canal can be readily accomplished. 

" That interesting arm of the sea, whose several divi- 
sions are knov/n respectively as Halifax River, Hillsboro 
River, and Mosquito Lagoon, forming a common channel, 
with an outwatering at Mosquito Inlet (latitude 29° north), 
continues to the south and parallel with the ocean-beach a 
distance of fifty-five miles, and is separated from it by a 
narrow strip of land about three fourths of a mile in width. 
The hamlets and towns of Holly Hill, New Britain, Day- 
tona, Halifax City, Port Orange, Blake Post-Ofiice, and 
New Smyrna, on the margin of the river, are desirably lo- 
cated, principally on rich, high hammock-lands of palmetto, 
oak, and other forest-trees. The inhabitants are from all 
sections of the Union, generally prosperous and anxiously 
awaiting the opening of the canal, and the consequent im- 
petus to the general industries of the country. Daytona is 
the most important town on the river, possesses a good 
hotel, stores, etc. New Smyrna, in the year 1770, was the 
seat of a large and profitable trade in indigo, immense crops 
of which were cultivated by a colony of Minorcans, under 
the guidance of Andrew Turnbull ; the dense hammocks, 
old canals, and turnpikes are silent monuments attesting to 
the vast extent of the plantations devoted to this enter- 
prise. The river varies in width from one half to two and 
a half miles, possessing a fairly direct channel, intercepted 
by sand and oyster bars, rendering portions of the route 



THE ATLANTIC COAST OF FLORIDA. I79 

very tortuous ; beautiful islands dot its surface, and the 
shore-lines are covered with verdure to the water's edge. 
A low belt of sand about seven hundred yards in width, 
pierced by a narrow canal, known as the Haulover, sepa- 
rates this system from Indian River, whose coralline bed 
and generally well-defined shore-line extends a distance of 
one hundred and twenty miles to the south, a narrow fringe 
of sand protecting it from the ocean, the only communica- 
tion therewith being at Indian River Inlet, latitude 27° 30' 
north. At the respective distances of ten, twenty-one, and 
thirty-six miles from the Haulover, Titusville, Rock Ledge, 
and Eau Gallic are located ; the first-named, the county- 
seat of Brevard County, being the most prominent. It 
possesses a good hotel, and is the general headquarters for 
business on the river. Rock Ledge is the center of a large 
section of country devoted to the cultivation of the orange. 
One thousand acres of land in this vicinity will, when set 
in trees, give an output of over three hundred thousand 
boxes per annum. Merritt's Island, extending from the 
head of the river to a point opposite Eau Gallic, is noted 
for its valuable lands, tropical fruits, and rich yield from 
the sugar-cane. The St. Sebastian River partially drains 
the northern portion of the Halpatiokee Flats, and is the 
most prominent of several streams joining the lagoon north 
of Indian River IsTarrows, which are due to a number of isl- 
ands contracting the channel at this point. Fort Capron, 
fifty-six miles south of Eau Gallic, and opposite Indian 
River Inlet, is the site of a military post, established in 
1849. Meteorological observations, extending over a series 
of years, show an equable temperature, with comparative 
dryness, mild and salubrious climate, and absolute immuni- 
ty from epidemic disease. An abundance of fruit, vegeta- 
bles, game, fish, oysters, etc., would certainly commend this 
as a site for a commodious hotel. Twenty-five miles south 
the St.^ucie River, which is the principal outlet for the 
drainage of a vast territory lying east of Lake Okechobee, 
is confluent with the Indian River ; it has a wide and deep 
channel branching off into a north and south prong, and in 
constructing a drainage canal from Lake Okechobee to the 
forks of the St. Lucie, opposite the mouth of the latter, it 
will be necessary to open an inlet connecting Indian River 
with the ocean. The inlet at Gilbert's Bar, just south, has 



180 FLORIDA. 

been opened on several occasions, and as often, due to its 
natural features, closed. On the east side of Indian River, 
just north of the mouth of the St. Lucie, a large bay ex- 
tends toward the ocean, and is separated therefrom by a 
sandy ridge not over three hundred feet wide, with a possi- 
ble underlying stratum of coquina. The ocean-beach forms 
a slight cove at this point, beyond which is a reef exj^osed 
at low tide and concave to the shore-line. These condi- 
tions are very favorable to the maintenance of an inlet, the 
opening of which I would recommend at this point ; and if 
once formed due to the action of tidal waters, its perma- 
nence is assured. Indian River, for a distance of one hun- 
dred and twenty miles, will average one and a half mile in 
width, widening at points to five miles, with a generally 
direct channel, requiring dredging at intervals in order to 
render it safely navigable. 

" The land bordering the river is generally high and low 
hammock, interspersed with scrub palmetto, with some 
marsh adjacent the narrows. The soil is very productive, 
sugar-cane and tropical fruits maturing to perfection. 
Three miles south of the St. Lucie we enter Jupiter Nar- 
rows, which are very tortuous, necessitating the labor of 
straightening and deepening at several points. They extend 
south, measured by the channel, a distance of twenty miles 
to Jupiter Inlet, intercepting Peck's Lake and Hope Sound ; 
a dense growth of mangrove covers the low borders ; and 
from general observations afforded by the openings, I in- 
ferred the land for the entire distance to be of good quality, 
and the same character as that farther north. 

" A continuation of Jupiter Inlet to the west for a dis- 
tance of eight miles, forms the Loocahachee, a broad river, 
from which are several branches, bordered by cypress, oak, 
etc., leading into the prairies and flats. From the inlet to 
Lake Worth, by the windings of Lake Worth Cj'eek, the 
distance is about thirteen miles ; in a direct line, not over 
seven. A single cut of one hundred yards in length will 
make a saving of one and a half mile in distance ; this 
same feature is noticeable in a marked degree at other 
points. There is a depth of five feet of water in the chan- 
nel from its mouth to the rapids ; from this point to the 
canal and Haulover at Lake Worth the water is compara- 
tively shallow, and at its head is about eight feet above the 



THE ATLANTIC COAST OF FLORIDA. 181 

level of the surface of the lake. A direct cut from the 
rapids to Little Lake Worth, which is immediately north of 
Lake Worth proper, would shorten the distance materially. 
It is not necessary to comment on the favorable character 
of the land in the vicinity of Lake Worth, as, even with its 
present development, semi- weekly cargoes of vegetables 
and tropical fruits in their respective seasons could be pro- 
vided." 

THE SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST COASTS. 

r 

The following passages are from an interesting article 
wdiich ajDpeared in a recent number of the "■ Semi-Tropical 
Magazine," written by M. A. Williams, a civil engineer of 
Jacksonville : 

" The climate upon this coast is exceedingly pleasant and 
healthy, being fanned almost continually by the sea-breezes, 
and the lands are adapted to general cultivation, but partic- 
ularly to semi-tropical fruits. The orange grows there to 
great perfection. These inland w^aters are more properly 
speaking sounds rather than rivers, and upon their borders 
there are localities of great beauty. The waters abound in 
the finest variety of fish. Indeed, the fisheries at particular 
places on these waters can not be excelled as to quantity, 
quality, and variety of the fish, and the same can be said of 
Charlotte Harbor, Sarasota, and other points upon the Gulf. 
So far a portion only of these fisheries have been used, 
chiefly for the West India market, but, with population and 
increased facilities for shipment, they must become of great 
value at no distant day. 

" The coral formation of the peninsula crops out upon the 
surface in the neighborhood of Biscayne Bay, and, although 
the land is exceedingly rocky, yet it is productive and well 
adapted to the cultivation of tropical fruits. LTpon the isl- 
ands lying off the southeast coast of Florida — Elliot's, Key 
Largo, and the islands farther south — is where the pineap- 
ples for the United States are produced. There were more 
than one hundred thousand pineapples produced upon Key 
Largo the present year. This fruit produced upon these 
islands is said to be of better flavor and of superior quality 
to that produced upon the Bahamas, and sells for a much bet- 



182 FLO BID A. 

ter price in the New York market. All other tropical fruits 
grow here to perfection. The surface of the lands is rocky 
almost beyond description. In surveying upon them, I had 
frequently to pile up rocks around my Jacob's staff to make 
it stand upright. In fact, the entire cultivation is done with 
the hands and the use of a wooden stick ; a common hoe or 
plow can not be used. The woods growing upon these 
islands differ from those of any other portion of the State ; 
they are mostly exceedingly hard, heavy, and when dressed 
very beautiful. 

" The Caloosahatchie and Pease Creek, upon the Gulf- 
coast, are large and beautiful rivers, and have upon their bor- 
ders a very large amount of excellent land ; and upon these 
waters the cocoanut, banana, pineapple, guava, and other ten- 
der tropical fruits grow to perfection. It is also well adapt- 
ed to the culture of sugar-cane. The Caloosahatchie River, 
from its entrance into Charlotte Harbor for forty miles up, 
is more than a mile wide ; it then narrows into a deep chan- 
nel with precipitous banks, and is from one hundred and 
fifty to two hundred feet wide. It so continues to the 
falls at Fort Thompson. All the streams that flow from the 
Everglades, both on the Atlantic and Gulf, have falls, thus 
proving the practicability of draining this immense area of 
submerged lands. In my judgment the Caloosahatchie is 
the best tropical region of this State ; indeed, it would 
be hard to excel it for beauty of location and adaptation of 
soil for tropical fruit-culture anywhere. Besides, it com- 
mands a large area of country south of it, embracing the 
best cattle-range in the State. The propriety of connect- 
ing this Avith the Okechobee Lake and the Kissimmee 
River by canal, thus giving an inland navigation for several 
hundred miles in the center of the peninsula, is a matter 
that has been ably stated by other persons. 

" The country around Forts Meade and Bartow, upon the 
head-waters of Pease Creek, is in many respects one of the 
most desirable portions of Florida. It is a region of clear, 
open-water lakes, with beautiful running streams of lim- 
pid water. The land is generally first-rate pine, with clay 
subsoil, and is very productive. This is an exceedingly 
healthy region, and is almost entirely free from mosquitoes. 
The lands on the head-waters of the Alafia are similar in all 
respects to those just mentioned. 



THE ATLANTIC COAST OF FLORIDA, 183 

"There are good lands upon the Manatee River and 
Sarasota Bay, and in other portions of Manatee County, 
with locations of great beauty and value. Previous to the 
war the largest sugar-planting interest in Florida was upon 
the Manatee River." 



CHAPTER XII. 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 



Peehaps I can not begin this chapter in a better way 
than by quoting the following passage from the official and 
carefully prej)ared pamphlet of the State Bureau of Immi- 
gration : 

" The climate of Florida is not a hot climate in summer, 
but mild, and not subject to great changes of temperature. 
The winters are not cold ^^ndi freezing, but uniformly coo^and 
hracing. Throughout the whole twelve months, the rainy, 
cloudy, disagreeable days are the exception ; fair, bright, 
sunny days the rule. The thermometer seldom goes below 
30° in winter, and rarely above 90° in summer. The official 
records show the average for summer, 78° ; for winter, 60°. 
The daily constant ocean-breezes in summer modify the 
heat (the Gulf-breeze, coming with the setting sun, cools 
the air at night) ; a warm or sultry night is almost unknown. 
Official sanitary reports, both of scientific bodies and the 
army, show that Florida stands first in health, although in 
the reports are included the transient or recent population, 
many of whom take refuge here as invalids, some in the 
lowest stages of disease. In the greater portion of the 
State, frost is rarely known. The summer is longer, but the 
heat less oppressive, than midsummer at the North ; this re- 
sults from its peculiar peninsular shape and the ever-recur- 
ring breezes which pass over the State. For days together. 
New York, Boston, and Chicago show, in summer, tempera- 
ture as high as 100° ; it is very rare that it reaches that de- 
gree in Florida for a single day, generally ranging below 
90° : not oppressive, modified by the ever-changing air ; 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 185 

not sultry, close, or humid ; mornings and evenings always 
cool and*^ bracing. I^atives and old residents, if asked, 
would say tliey preferred the summer to the winter months 
for climate. This climate is peculiarly adapted for vegeta- 
tion. There are years when in some localities there is a 
drought, and years when portions of the State have had 
excessive rains, but they do not extend - far. In the early 
spring, when most of the planting season occurs, there are 
frequent showers ; from the first to the middle of July, the 
rainy season commences, continuing till the middle of Sep- 
tember ; the rain falls almost every day, commencing in 
the early afternoon, lasting from a few minutes to a few 
hours, rarely as long as the last period, often heavy with 
thunder and sharp lightning, then ceasing, leaving the air 
cool and sweet, the sky clear and bright ; the porous soil 
quickly absorbs the water and leaves the footway dry. 
These rains fill up the low, flat lands and ponds, and are in- 
jurious to crops when planted on such lands, underlaid by 
hard-pan. But on the high pine-lands and high hammocks 
the rains are of advantage, making crops grow rank and 
heavy. The 'rainy season' is not of regular annual oc- 
currence. 

"We take from Dr. A. S. Baldwin's tables, kept for 
the Smithsonian Institute, as follows : 

"' Jacksonville, latitude 30° 15', longitude 82° — mean of 
three daily observations for twenty years, 1844-'6T. Ther- 
mometer : 



>-0 



January 55 

February 58^ 

March 64° 

April 70° 

]\Iay 76° 



July 82' 

August 82° 

September '. .78° 

October 70° 

November 62° 



June 80° j December 52 

" ' The army records show for twenty years, variation at 
St. Augustine, Florida, 23°. 

"Rainfall at Jacksonville, average for ten ^^ears, 54*5 
inches ; the largest quantity in August and September, and 
the least in November.' " 

From my personal experience, I can indorse the above 
opinions. The winter of 1879-'80, in all portions of Florida, 



186 FLORIDA. 

was about as delightful a season as can be imagined ; but, 
as that winter was an exceptionally fine one, perhaps it 
should not be taken as a criterion. The summer of 1880 
was the hottest known in years, in this State. In a few 
localities the thermometer attained 102° on several occa- 
sions. Yet I spent the entire summer and autumn in South 
Florida, engaged in a vocation that required me to be out- 
of-doors nearly all the time. I rode about on horseback 
through the woods at all hours of the day, but on no occa- 
sion did I really suffer from the heat or feel it in any way 
unbearable. In fact, I thought it a pleasant, agreeable 
summer, and never enjoyed better health. I was frequently 
caught out in the sudden showers — often regular drenches — 
in the rainy season, and was as wet as though I had been 
under a shower-bath ; but I always remained out and dried 
by the wind or sun as the case might be. I saw on three oc- 
casions the thermometer register 102°, but we were all pre- 
pared for warm weather, and did not find it so oppressive 
as such a temperature would indicate. The winter of 1880 
-'81 was considered the coldest and stormiest of many 
years, yet we probably enjoyed two thirds of the evenings, 
sitting out on the verandas as in May weather. Three times 
the thermometer went below 40° ; once, December 30th, 
it touched 32°, damaging tomatoes and such garden-vege- 
tables — also bananas, guavas, and pineapples. On most of 
the evenings and early mornings in January we had fires 
in our rooms, but it was not cold of the >Torthern kind, 
neither unhealthy nor disagreeable, simply chilly. We com- 
plained loudly at 55° above zero. 

This was my experience of the weather in Orange Coun- 
ty, which is situated considerably north of the center of 
the State. In the counties farther north, up to the Georgia 
line, it was several degrees colder but not freezing — except 
the cold snaps in December and March — nor bitter, only 
much colder than is usual in Florida. It was in this sec- 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 187 

tion that the disastrous cold snaps occurred December 
30th and March 29th, when the thermometer registered 
about 20° above zero for a few hours, and ice formed in 
Jacksonville and damaged fruits, flowers, and crops. It 
caused no personal suffering, and was damaging to fruits 
and crops only of -the tenderest kind, because unexpected 
like any climatic calamity. Such severe cold weather is 
not usual in this State, and should not be regarded as an 
evil liable to occur frequently. It was an exception. Its 
damage was less than from a drought, wet season, or locust- 
plague, so frequently occurring in other States. The rainy, 
cloudy days of December and January were so unexpected 
and un-Florida-like, that all felt disgusted. 

I must say, however, that we were somewhat reconciled 
to our disasters and discomfort, as we read of the actual 
and widespread suffering at the North and in the great 
Northwest. I recollect that in February we were reading 
almost daily in the newspapers of great storms of snow and 
sleet, of delays and dangers on railways, of interruptions to 
telegraphic communication, of loss of life and property, of 
terrible suffering from cold and hunger, of whole regions 
devastated by floods, and of the entire machinery of busi- 
ness and transportation brought to a standstill. At the 
same time, in many parts of the North, diphtheria, small- 
pox, and similar scourges, were causing the death of many 
thousands, involving doctors' bills (if no worse) for hun- 
dreds of poor families whose resources were already strained 
in procuring fuel and clothes for the necessary warmth. 
Now, it is the plain unvarnished truth that that same month 
of February, 1881, in every part of Florida, was as warm, 
as sunny, as genial, and as healthy, as any May month ever 
seen in the North. Fruits and flowers were growing every- 
where, crops were being planted or gathered, straw-hats 
and light clothes were common, and — in the more southern 
regions — swimming and bathing in the ponds and in the 



188 FLORIDA. 

sea were enjoyed. Oranges were being gathered in every 
section where the frost had not damaged them, and among 
the out-door attractions were fishing, hunting, riding, boat- 
ing, and yachting. Open doors and windows were the uni- 
versal rule, the evenings were usually spent on the broad 
verandas, and fresh garden-vegetables wxre on the tables. 
By reference to the files of the " South Florida Journal," 
I find that on the 22d of January Mr. George E. Sawyer, 
of Sanford, started for the State Fair at Jacksonville, with 
an exhibit of oranges, lemons, limes, guavas, bananas, 
lemon and banana blooms, cabbages, cauliflowers, lettuce, 
turnips, radishes, and carrots, all just plucked in the open 
air. 

In the matter of healthfulness, too, the contrast was 
equally great. Probably not two people in the thousand 
died during that February in all Florida ; certainly none 
died from the effects of cold, or from those frightful epi- 
demics that are the terror of the North. Pneumonia is un- 
known in Florida ; so are diphtheria and small-pox. Even 
the summers are remarkably healthy, except for the malari- 
ous fevers which are due to local conditions that are easily 
recognized and guarded against. There was never known 
a case of sunstroke or of hydrophobia in Florida. Yello\\^ 
fever has been known to occur in the State, and there are 
five localities that have acquired the bad reputation always 
inflicted upon a place that has been visited by this terrible 
epidemic ; but in each place, on each occasion, the disease 
was brought there by infected vessels ; in no case was it 
of local or spontaneous origin. 

The question of climate and health, however, is pecul- 
iarly one in which the opinions of specialists are all-impor- 
tant ; and, having now offered my own testimony in the 
matter, I propose to cite the confirmatory evidence of those 
who have given most attention to the matter, and whose 
conclusions are most entitled to respect. Dr. .Joseph P. 



CLIMATE AND EEALTH. 189 

Logan, one of the most distinguished physicians in Atlanta, 
Georgia, contributed a valuable article on " Climate-Cure " 
to " Gaillard's Medical Journal," for March, 1881, and from 
it I make (by permission) the following extracts : 

" Without undertaking to cover the whole ground em- 
braced in the subject under consideration, or to engage 
for the ]3resent in the discussion of the speculative theo- 
ries now so rife in regard to the details of special influ- 
ences of climate upon disease, I propose as a rule, in 
general terms, that the best climate for the invalid suffer- 
ing from any disease is that which furnishes the largest 
opportunity for interesting, comfortable, and healthful 
out-door exercise, thoroitghly ventilated sleeping-rooms, 
and in which there is the least necessity for burdensome 
clothing, 

" While for many years the w^eight of evidence in favor 
of the State of Florida, as furnishing these conditions to a 
higher degree than any other portion of the United States, 
has been very decided, yet, owing largely to a want of care- 
ful discrimination upon the part of medical advisers in send- 
ing persons in the fully developed or advanced stage of con- 
sumption to that State, and the natural anxiety of even the 
most hopeless sufferers to exhaust every possible resource 
in the effort to prolong life, doubts as to the real advantages 
of that region have arisen, and repeated efforts have been 
made by enthusiastic members of the medical profession to 
establish a climatic sanitarium elsewhere. At various times 
it was to be found among the snow and ice of Minnesota, 
the great elevations of Colorado, the plains of western 
Texas, or the sand-hills and uplands of South and North 
Carolina, or Georgia ; but the writer is strongly impressed 
with the conviction, after a number of years' consideration 
of this subject, and such opportunities of observation as in 
his judgment authorize him to put upon record the opinion, 
that all these attempts will in a large majority of cases of 
tubercular disease, and more strikingly so with reference to 
the other diseases to which reference has been made, prove 
illusive. 

" His testimony is, that while from the causes mentioned, 
and the want of judgment in various ways upon the part of 



190 FLORIDA, 

sufferers from these diseases wlio have made the experi- 
ment, and we regret to say the want of moral courage (to 
which the writer pleads personally guilty) in facing and 
presenting the inevitable to our patients, resj)ectable pro- 
fessional and popular doubts as to the efficiency of the cli- 
mate of Florida as a remedy for consumption have arisen ; 
yet the drift of the sentiment of both classes, within the 
scope of his observation, is more marked at the present hour 
in favor of the idea that nowhere else in this country is to 
be found the same reliable evidence as to the value of cli- 
mate-cure in disease, and specially in consumption, as that 
which has been accumulating for many years in regard to 
the State of Florida. That there is a decided exemption 
from tubercular consumption, as originating in Georgia and 
other Southern States in the same latitude, as compared with 
the northern sections of the United States, and that many 
persons in the inci]3ient stage of the disease, or with a pro- 
clivity in that direction, in the I*»J^orth, have been greatly 
benefited by a removal to the milder and more genial cli- 
mate of almost every portion of the Southern States, and 
especially in Georgia and the Carolinas, is doubtless true ; 
but that this advantage has been mainly due in this region 
to the greater opportunity for exercising in comfort and 
safety in the open air, and to the escape from the noxious 
influences of a long winter residence in close and heated 
rooms, rather than to any specific curative influence of the 
climate, there is no doubt. 

" That thousands and tens of thousands of delicate people 
with an inherited or acquired proclivity to consumption, and 
many cases even of the actual incipient development of the 
disease in the more northern sections of the United States, 
and to a more limited yet appreciable extent even in this 
section (where our winters are charactei'ized by frequent 
northeastern storms of rain, alternating with sharp north- 
western winds), may have their terms of life greatly pro- 
longed, and in a large proportion of cases escape a fatal 
result from the disease, by a permanent removal to, or a 
residence for the entire cold season in, the State of Florida, 
upon the j)rinciple already alluded to, and to a much greater 
degree, and possibly to some extent to an additional cura- 
tive influence in the climate, is established by many well- 
authenticated instances of such results, some of which the 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 191 

writer may undertake to put upon record, at some future 
time, if they can be gathered up in proper professional 
form. 

"As to the result, however, of the plan adopted by 
most persons of spending a few weeks or months in Flori- 
da, and especially of deferring their departure from in- 
hospitable climates for a winter residence in this more 
genial region until they have been subjected to an at- 
tack of cold or bronchitis, as the result of the inclem- 
ent weather of the early winter, and then returning 
in the months of spring, when the climatic changes are 
greater and more trying than at any other period of 
the year, I have nothing favorable to say, and believe 
that the only fair test of the influences of the climate can 
be realized by spending the entire cold season, say from 
the first of November to the last of May, or by residing 
there the entire year in some readily-found locality free 
from malaria. 

" And, now that the wonderful success of semi-tropical 
fruit-culture is established beyond controversy, and a most 
pleasant, profitable, and suitable occupation is found, even 
for the invalid, who is not entirely disabled, and with the 
admirable attractions afforded by the abounding game for 
hunting, and the charming small lakes teeming with fish for 
boating and angling, and with the opportunity to almost 
literally live out-doors (the desideratum for the consump- 
tive invalid), with something constantly to interest, and 
with no time hanging heavily upon the hands or for brood- 
ing over disabilities, it would seem that a very bonanza of 
health, pleasure, and wealth, even for the invalids, has been 
found. 

" After visiting Florida a number of times, and regarding 
the whole State as more or less favorable in the climatic 
advantages offered, I would state that these are combined 
to a greater degree than in any other accessible and im- 
proved section, in that portion of the peninsula known as 
South Florida, and especially in the county of Orange, 
with parallel and more southern counties to the region of 
Tampa upon the Gulf-coast, extending far into the interior, 
embracing hill and dale and large bodies of rolling, majestic 
pine, oak, and magnolia forests, and many beautiful, spar- 
kling lakes, which, in that region where evaporation from 
9 



192 FLORIDA. 

and percolation through the soil is very extreme, furnish, 
in connection with the soft and charming breezes from the 
Gulf or ocean, a desirable humidity in the long intervals 
between the rains, characteristic of that section during a 
large part of the year, and to such extent, specially in the 
winter, as to constitute it the ' dry season ' as compared to 
the ' wet season ' from July to September. . . . Without, 
then, intending to ignore the advantages of the winter cli- 
mate of the Southern States generally, and especially the 
piny and sandy sections of Georgia, the Carolinas, and 
Northern and Middle Florida, and in some exceptional sea- 
sons of the San Antonio regions of Texas, my advice to the 
invalid seeking a reliable and genial climate for the cold 
season is, to ship from Jacksonville (the point of steamboat 
departure from the upper or lower St. John's River, as you 
may prefer to term it), two hundred miles by water, for 
Sanford, or Enterprise, on that magnificent expansion of the 
St. John's called Lake Monroe, at the head of large-steam- 
boat navigation. And, as the invalid will not go where he 
can not find comfortable accommodations, it is well to state 
that here and in the adjacent sections of park-like, rolling 
pines in the counties of Orange and Volusia, good hotels 
and boarding-houses have already sprung up where but a 
few years ago was a primeval forest. . . . 

"But, however necessary, attractive, and useful such 
public-houses are, it is not in luxurious and crowded hotels 
that the highest conditions for health anywhere, and espe- 
cially for ' climate-cure,' are found ; and, instead of loung- 
ing in the hotels of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and many 
other points of interest to the mere pleasure-seeker upon 
the St. John's or in this region, I would advise, as an im- 
portant factor in a thorough test of this climate, at least in 
diseases of the lungs, that the invalid should be as much 
segregated as possible, and where practicable that he should 
have his own house, however simple and inexpensive it may 
be, and that it should be surrounded by groves, gardens, 
and vineyards, as an interesting and valuable resource for 
both pleasure and profit to the health, even if there should 
be no occasion for it to the pocket." 

For more specific details and tabulated data, I am per- 
mitted to draw largely upon an address on the " Climatol- 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 193 

ogy of Florida," which Dr. Charles J. Kenworthy, Presi- 
dent of the Florida Medical Association, delivered at a re- 
cent meeting of that Society. The address has since been 
published in pamphlet form, and should be read in its en- 
tirety by those who would obtain precise and statistical 
information as to the climate and hygienic conditions of 
Florida ; but the following somewhat copious extracts will 
serve to indicate the general conclusions which Dr. Ken- 
worthy has reached, and the evidence upon which those 
conclusion^ are based. He says : 

" Difference of opinion exists in the profession regard- 
ing the effects of climate in the treatment of pulmonary 
and other diseases. Having been a member of the profes- 
sion for over the third of a century, and having treated dis- 
ease in private practice, as well as in several hospitals in 
the United States and in other lands, I have reason to be- 
lieve that I am justified in expressing mine. My reason for 
settling in this State was my wife's health. She was a suf- 
ferer from phthisis, aggravated by a Northern climate. 
From my personal knowledge of the climatic advantages of 
this State, acquired by frequent visits, the first in 1844, Ire- 
solved upon settling in Jacksonville. As a result of change 
of climate, combined with rational medication, my wife 
was restored to health. In 1849 I was connected with 
Bellevue and Blackwell's Island Hospitals, New York, and 
contracted typhoid fever and cholera, followed by ^^o^s?^- 
mortem poisoning ; and im. paired health was the result. 
Tracing my family history, I found that my mother and 
fourteen of her brothers and sisters had died of phthisis. 
With impaired health, a laryngeal affection, and an heredi- 
tary predisposition to tuberculosis, I had anything but a 
bright prospect before me. I looked to climate as my 
sheet-anchor, and sailed for Australia, and a dry and warm 
climate improved my health ; and to-day, as you can all per- 
ceive, I am in the enjoyment of as good health as usually 
falls to the lot of men of my age. After a permanent resi- 
dence in this State of nearly six years, I am convinced of 
its healthfulness and the superiority of its climate, and deem 
myself warranted in expressing an opinion. ... 



194: FLORIDA. 

" In this age of rapid, cheap, and comfortable traveling, 
the advantages to health of a change of climate should be 
considered by every person suffering from pulmonary or 
chronic disease, or broken health. It is a pleasant, and in 
many cases a valuable, remedy if judiciously advised. 'It 
would be difficult,' says Sir James Clark, the standard au- 
thority on climate, ' to point out the chronic complaint, or 
even disordered state of health, which is not benefited by 
a timely and judicious change of climate.' The diseases 
most likely to be benefited or cured by change of climate 
are phthisis, laryngeal and bronchial affections, asthma, dis- 
order of the digestive organs, chronic gout and rheumatism, 
affections of the kidneys, and broken health. A change of 
climate is beneficial to strumous children, is invaluable dur- 
ing convalescence from acute and chronic disease, and more 
especially is it one of tho chief resources of restorative med- 
icine. 

"A large majority of patients require a moderately 
warm, dry, and bracing atmosphere, and the few demand a 
warm, sedative climate, where the atmosphere is not alone 
warm, but humid ; and here steps in that knowledge that 
should be possessed by medical men who recommend cli- 
matic change as a remedial agent. A moderately warm, 
dry, and bracing air, with but few sudden and great atmos- 
pheric changes, is especially adapted to tuberculous disease 
in its early stages, catarrh, chronic bronchitis, chronic rheu- 
matism, debilitating mucous discharges, renal diseases, dys- 
pepsia, and some cases of asthma. A moist, warm, and sed- 
ative climate is best adapted to many cases of advanced 
phthisis, dry asthma, chronic bronchitis, accompanied with 
great irritability of the pulmonary mucous membrane, and 
a hard, dry cough. The particular locality, or what climate 
shall be chosen for a winter resort in any given case, is a 
matter of great importance, and should not be based on 
this or that letter or publication. Facts, figures, experience, 
and favorable factors of climate should determine the ques- 
tion. An error in this direction may be fatal, and, before a 
physician advises a patient to resort to any particular local- 
ity, he should carefully investigate each particular case, 
arrive at a correct diagnosis, and familiarize himself with 
the factors of each winter resort. Many an invalid who 
would be restored to comparative health, or at least survive 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 195 

for years, if he wintered in a temperate climate, is sent to 
a region where zero is frequently reached, where atmos- 
pheric changes are frequent and great, and where the pa- 
tient is confined to heated rooms for days together, and 
debarred from taking exercise and enjoying the health- 
giving influence of sunlight and pure air. Others are 
sent to a warm and relaxing climate, when they require 
a temperate, dry, and bracing one. Fashion and the 
influence of some leading physician have much to do with 
this. 

" In this active business country, we And many persons 
who have been overworked, and present a breach in the 
chain of those vital processes whose continuity constitutes 
health — a condition popularly known as ' broken health.' 
... In Florida, the worn-out man of business, suffering 
f rom^ ' broken health,' will find the necessary relaxation from 
* brain-fag,' opportunities to take out-door exercise, |)lenty 
of sunshine, pure and bracing air, and other necessary ad- 
juncts to relieve a condition affecting the many. In this 
connection, I can not refrain from referring to what I con- 
sider an important fact. From my observations in the 
United States and in foreign lands, and in hospital as well 
as private practice, I have been forced to notice the infre- 
quency of chronic disease and broken health in Florida. 
In my visits to various portions of this State, I have met 
with many persons, old and young, who live from year to 
year on improper food, and who drink water from shallow 
holes, near marshes, and yet, singular to say (although such 
persons are somewhat ansemic), they do not present any 
manifest diseased condition. In cities, towns, villages, and 
rural districts, where residents are supplied with proper 
food and drink pure water, a case of chronic disease or 
broken health is seldom met with. And if we have a cli- 
niate in which these conditions rarely occur, are we not jus- 
tified in concluding that it will exert a powerful influence 
in restoring the invalid to health ? As most of you are 
aware, I have, at various times, visited many portions of 
the State, and have been surprised to meet so many persons 
who have settled in it as invalids and have been restored to 
health or comparative comfort by the climate — a large pro- 
portion of them having been sufferers from pulmonary dis- 
eases. And what surprised me most was the fact that none 



196 FLORIDA. 

of their offspring manifested any constitutional predisposi- 
tion to pulmonary disease. Independent of uterine diseases 
among females, so common in every civilized country, and 
constitutional syphilis among colored people, I will ask you 
if your experience will^ not bear out my statement, and if 
your practice among residents is not almost exclusively con- 
fined to acute and not chronic disease and broken health ? 
If this is a fact, it would appear that the climate is pecul- 
iarly adapted to the cure of such conditions, and have we 
not a potent agent to use, and, if used aright, to benefit suf- 
fering humanity ? , , . 

" The word climate, in its common signification, indi- 
cates a region bounded by certain arbitrary lines, but in 
medicine it possesses a wider meaning. The effect of cli- 
mate upon the human system is the sum of the influences 
which are connected with many factors. The climate of 
any locality, professionally speaking, depends upon its tem- 
perature, atmospheric vicissitudes, prevailing winds, humid- 
ity, its elevation above the sea-level, its proximity to the 
ocean or oceanic currents, its contiguity to mountains, 
lakes, rivers, arid areas, soil, drainage, vegetable produc- 
tions, malaria, general sanitation, and other factors, which 
we shall briefly consider. ... 

" Temperature is an important factor in climate, and a 
very large proportion of the profession, who have made a 
special study of pulmonary diseases, advocate a dry, sunny, 
and temperate climate for their successful treatment. In 
view of the great dissemination of phthisis throughout all 
zones, and the marked percentage of mortality ('nearly 
two sevenths of all deaths resulting from this disease '), it 
is exceedingly important that correct opinions should pre- 
vail with regard to its treatment. The importance of 
laboring to check this disease and limit its mortality is an 
urgent necessity, more especially when there is a growing 
demand for more attention to the preserA^ation of health, 
and when the conviction is gaining ground that this is an 
important function of medical science. 

" The modern professional view that a temperate^ <^^'^yi 
and sunny clime is best adapted to the treatment of a large 
proportion of pulmonary diseases is one of the most valua- 
ble contributions that modern science has made in the treat- 
ment of such diseases. It may be stated, as a general rule. 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 



197 



that pulmonary diseases are more frequent in cold and 
changeable climates than in those that are moderately 
warm and dry. The climatological distribution of pulmo- 
nary diseases in the United States is illustrated by the fol- 



lowing table from Blodgett's ' Climatology 



STATES. 


Deaths by 
phthisis. 


Per cent, 
of entire 
mortality. 


Deaths by 

disease 

of respiratory 

organs. 


Per cent, 
of entire 
mortality. 


ilaine 


1,702 
924 
751 

3,426 
968 
470 

7,890^ 
915 

3,520 
118 

1,101 

1,616 

562 

269 

279 

43 


22 

21 

24 

17 

16 

20 

17 

14 

12 

9 

11 

8 

5 

3 

2 

4 


4 

84 
09 
65 
75 
92 
04 
15 
33 
76 
44 
48 
83 
34 
80 
61 


2,074 
1,092 

884 
4,418 
1,280 

572 

10,846 

1,176 

4,821 

185 
1,679 
3,540 
1,688 
1,343 
1,334 

108 


27 
25 
28 
22 
22 
25 
23 
18 
16 
15 
17 
18 
16 
16 
13 
11 


35 


New Hampshire 


82 


Vermont 


24 


Massachusetts 


77 


Connecticut 

Rhode Island 


31 

52 


New York 


42 


New Jersey 


19 


Pennsylvania 


80 


Delaware 


30 


Maryland , , 


34 


Virginia 


56 


North Carolina 

South Carolina 


60 
69 


Georgia 


44 


i lorida 


60 













" The above figures do not properly represent the mortal- 
ity from phthisis originating in this State, for they do not 
indicate the number of deaths occurring among invalids 
who came to the State in the last and incurable stages of 
phthisis. ' From the United States census tables and 
other statistics, the fact is developed that phthisis in the 
United States progressively decreases from Maine to Flori- 
da. Dr. Lawson, Surgeon -General United States Army, 
sets down the mortality from tubercular consumption as 
three times greater in the l^orthern than in the Southern 
States.' 

" To illustrate one important factor of climate — temper- 
ature — I shall quote from the official records of the Signal 
Service of the United States Army for the months of No- 
vember, December, January, February, and March, regard- 
ing the temperature of certain points recommended as 
health resorts : 



198 



FLORIDA. 



LOCALITY. 



Cannes, Mediterranean .... 

Nice, Mediterranean 

Mentone, Mediterranean. , 

Nervi, Mediterranean 

Nassau, New Providence . . 
Atlantic City, New Jersey. 
Augusta, northern Georpia 
Breckenridge, Minnesota. . 

Duluth, Minnesota 

St. Paul, Minnesota. ...... 

Key West, Florida 

Punta Rassa, Florida 

Jacksonville, Florida 

Aiken, South Carolina .... 
Los Angeles, California . . . 



i 


u 
o 

s 

> 
o 

!2; 


s 

O 


48-5° 




i 

52-8° 


> 

i g 


3 


54-6' 


48-8° 


49-4° 


50-8" 


3 


53-8 • 


48-5 


47-0 


48-4 


51-8 


49-9 


3 


55-2 


50-5 


48-8 


50-4 


53-4 


51-6 


3 


55-2 


47-8 


46-2 


47-8 


49-0 


49-2 


1 


ro-1 


72-3 


72-2 


71-9 


74-4 


73-3 


4 


45-3 


35-3 


32-2 


33-2 


37-1 


36-6 


4 


54-9 


47-6 


48-1 


49-6 


57-0 


51-4 


5 


17-3 


13-4 


6-8 


13-1 


18-9 


13-9 


4 


28-S 


21-6 


12-4 


19.2 


25-7 


21-5 


5 


28-3 


20-0 


13-0 


19-4 


27-6 


21-7 


5 


74-5 


70-5 


70-5 


71-7 


73-8 


72-2 


5 


69-7 


64-8 


65-5 


65-9 


69-8 


67-1 


4 


62-1 


55-8 


56-2 


56-9 


62-7 


58-7 


5 


54-7 


46-7 


46-4 


47-5 


56-4 


50-3 


1 


62-1 


55-3 


54-1 


£i-6 


55-8 


56-3 



"As thermo metric range is a matter of great import- 
ance in the causation and treatment of disease, more espe- 
cially pulmonary affections, we will give the ranges for 
the cold months at a few points recommended as winter 
resorts : 



LOCALITY. 



Atlantic City, New Jersey. 

Augusta, Georgia 

Minnesota, three stations. 
Florida, three stations. . . . 
Coloi^ado, two stations. . . . 
Los Angeles, California. . . 





%< 














o 




>i 






x> 


^ 


t^ 


;.< 




CO 


g 


a 


a 


a 


^ 




> 

o 




a 




i 


>^ 


45° 


48" 


►-S 


P^ 


§ 


4 


48° 


48° 


46° 


4 


49 


49 


51 


48 


50 


4 


70 


63 


57 


58 


58 


4 


35 


.37 


35 


33 


35 


4&2 


68 


70 


72 


58 


66 


1 


41 


44 


35 


30 


35 



Q 
> 

I- 

c3 g 



47^ 
49 
61 
35 

67 
37 



" To illustrate thermal ranges for one year, we shall 
quote from the work of Dr. Denison, and add ranges for 
Florida obtained from Signal Service Reports for corre- 
sponding period : 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 



199 



LOCALITY. 



Atlantic City, New Jersey 

Norfolk, Virginia , 

St. Louis, Missouri 

Cheyenne, Wyoming 

Denver, Colorado 

Colorado Springs 

FJorida Peninsula 



Mean 

monthly 

range. 


Eange of 
monthly 
means' 


Annual 
means. 


41 


0° 


44 


r 


49-7° 


44 





40 


,'7 


57 


3 


53 





57 


4 


54 


2 


61 


5 


48 


9 


43 


6 


60 


5 


53 


Y 


49 


2 


63 


5 


4'7 


7 


46 


8 


29 


1 


19 


2 


73 


4 



Annual 
range. 

89-5^ 
89-5 
117-0 
136-0 
131-0 
123-0 
50-0 



" In forming an opinion regarding climates, many fac- 
tors must be considered, and altitude is of less importance 
than temperature, prevailing winds, dry soil, and a low 
mean relative humidity. ' With regard to the temperature 
of the air, it is absolutely certain,' says Professor Buhl, 'that 
it is not the mean temperature of a place which regulates 
the frequency of catarrh or phthisis, but only the larger, 
sudden, and oft-recurring vacillations of temperature, which 
the compensatory power of our body is unable to resist. 
Therefore the temperature of the air and its rapid vacilla- 
tions must be regarded as exciting causes of inflammatory 
phthisis.' Atmospheric changes in the North and West 
are sudden and great ; but in Florida they are infrequent 
and not extreme. At times, what are called ' cold snaps ' 
occur, but their visits are infrequent, and they seldom last 
over one, two, or three days ; and at any time the invalid 
can take exercise out-of-doors in the middle of the day. 
Owing to the low level of the land, the absence of snow and 
ice, and the warmth of the soil for a long distance to the 
north and west of this State, and the influence of the winds 
from the Gulf, the northerly and westerly winds are modi- 
fied and robbed of their harshness and refrigerating effects 
before they reach Florida, and as a consequence they do not 
exert the same injurious influence that they do at points 
to the north and west of this State. In rej^ly to my circu- 
lar letter, that accomplished observer and meteorologist. 
Dr. Baldwin, who has been in practice in this city for over 
forty years, remarks : ' Stormy weather here is compara- 
tively rare, sustaining a proportion of about one storm here 
to ten at the North and Northwest. The air here is re- 
markable for its purity, and the temperature renders it pos- 



200 FLORIDA. 

sible for tlie patients to take out-door exercise, so as to in- 
spire the pure air,' 

" The subject of winds is a matter of importance in esti- 
mating the adaptability of any climate as a health resort. 
The prevailing winds for the five cold months in Minnesota 
are from the north, northwest, and west. A reference to 
the Signal Service Reports shows that four hundred and 
fifty-three observations were taken during ISTovember, De- 
cember, January, February, and March, at three stations 
in Minnesota, and north, northwest, and west winds were 
found blowing from these points one hundred and ninety 
times. During the same period, and as a result of a simi- 
lar number of observations at three stations in East Florida, 
the wind was found blowing from the east, southeast, and 
northeast, two hundred and twenty-three times. All are 
aware of the refrigerating effects of northerly and westerly 
winds in the North and West, and that during their con- 
tinuance a majority of invalids must of necessity be con- 
fined to the house. The Appalachians interfere, to a great 
extent, with the course of northerly and westerly winds, 
and by the time they reach this f aA^ored land they are robbed 
of their injurious influences. At times these winds affect 
the northern and western portions of the State, and several 
times during the winter slight frosts may occur. During 
some winters the mercury does not reach 32° Fahr. ; as evi- 
dence of this, I need but refer to the fact that the lowest 
temperature in this locality during the past winter was 34°. 

"Easterly winds have a bad reputation, ... In one 
section of the world, at least, easterly winds are not objec- 
tionable, and this is in Florida. On the peninsula, easterly 
winds are the prevailing ones in the cold months. During 
November, December, January, February, and March, at 
three stations in East Florida, easterly winds, east, north- 
east, and southeast, were found blowing at two hundred 
and twenty-four observations. Owing to the proximity of 
the Gulf Stream, with its vast volume of heated water to 
the east of the coast, the easterly winds are robbed of the 
harsh and searching properties which characterize them in 
most localities. As an evidence of the influence of the 
Gulf Stream, thousands of miles from Florida, even after 
it has parted with much of its warmth, we need but refer 
to its effects in modifying the climate of the south of Eng- 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 



201 



land and France. However objectionable easterly winds 
may be in other sections, in this evergreen State they are 
the opposite. 

" Precipitation of moisture, in the form of snow and 
rain, is a subject worth consideration by the invalid. In 
the North and Northwest the presence of snow renders the 
taking of exercise a laborious and unpleasant occupation ; 
and when it melts, and assumes the form of slash, walking 
entails the risk of wet feet, colds, and inflammatory affec- 
tions of the lungs. In Florida, the winter is the dry sea- 
son, and rains are infrequent. Owing to the character of 
the soil in a majority of places, the rain is absorbed as 
rapidly as it falls, and within a few minutes after a shower 
an invalid can walk out without incurring the danger of 
wetting the soles of his shoes. 

" One of the most important factors of climate in the 
treatment of disease, and more especially affections of the 
respiratory organs, is a dry climate ; and, under the bare 
supposition that this or that is a dry climate, invalids are 
frequently consigned to an unsuitable locality. By some 
peculiar process of reasoning, the masses have arrived at 
the conclusion that all cold or elevated localities possess 
dry climates. But an unprejudiced examination of the sub- 
ject will soon dispel the illusion. . . . 

MEAJSr RELATIVE HUMIDITY. 



LOCALITY. 



Mentone and Cannes 

Nassau, New Providence. . 
Atlantic City, New Jersey. 
Breckcnridge, Minnesota. . 

Duluth, Minnesota 

St. Paul, Minnesota 

Punta Eassa, Florida 

Key West, Florida 

Jacksonville, Floinda 

Augusta, Georgia 

Bismarck, Dakota 

Boston, Massachusetts. . . . 



u 


CD 
•Si 

o 


i 
a 


Eh 




3 


per ct. 

71-8 


per ct. 

74-2 


per ct. 
72-0 


per ct. 

70-7 


1 


76-1 


72-0 


7'7-0 


72-5 


5 


76-9 


73-1 


80-6 


77-3 


5 


76-9 


83-2 


76 8 


81 8 


5 


74-0 


72-1 


72-7 


73-3 


5 


70-3 


73-5 


75-2 


'70-7 


5 


'72-7 


73-2 


74-2 


'73-7 


5 


nn-\ 


Y8-7 


78-9 


77-2 


5 


71-9 


69-3 


70-2 


68-5 


5 


71-8 


72-6 


73-0 


64-7 


1 


76-6 


76-4 


77-4 


81-6 


1 


68-0 


61-8 


66 6 


68-2 



per ct. 
73-3 
68-4 
76-8 
79-5 
71-0 
671 
69-9 
72-2 
63-9 
62-8 
70-6 
63-7 



« m 



per ct. 
7 2 -4 
73-2 
781 
79-6 
72-6 
71-3 
72-7 
76-8 
68-8 
68-9 
76-5 
65-6 






§a 



per ct. 

72-7 



202 FLORIDA. 

" To place the subject of mean relative humidity in a 
clear and unmistakable light, we shall freely use the mate- 
rial furnished by the Signal Service Reports, and not use 
data of private individuals, which are not always reliable. 
I will simply remark that, when the atmosphere is saturated 
with moisture, it is said to contain one hundred per cent., 
when one-half or one-quarter saturated, fifty or twenty- 
five per cent., and, when absolutely dry, 0. 

"... Among the factors on which the development 
and progress of pulmonary diseases certainly depend, 
dampness of soil is an important one, and merits the con- 
sideration of physician and patient. . . . Dry, sandy, or 
gravelly soils, at a sufficient elevation to insure perfect 
drainage, will be, cceteris i^arihus^ more healthy than a 
cold, clayey soil, or even a sandy soil, with water near the 
surface at a higher elevation. And, before a physician 
advises a patient to visit a given winter resort, he should 
acquaint himself with the peculiarities of the locality as 
regards soil and moisture ; for if a cold, moist soil is j^ro- 
ductive of disease, a locality where such soil exists can not 
be favorable for the invalid, and should be avoided. Dr. 
Jones, of St. Paul, Minnesota, says that ' those localities 
only should be recommended where the soil is sandy, or 
highly pervious to water, and where rainfall is rapidly ab- 
sorbed.' These conditions exist to a marked degree in a 
large portion of this State ; hence its advantages as a cli- 
matic resort. 

"Malaria is a subject which enters into the discussion 
of all southern climes, and we unhesitatingly assert that 
Florida has been misrepresented in this respect. ' It is the 
custom,' remarks Dr. Lente (page 21), ' of many persons liv- 
ing at Florida resorts, off the St. John's River, to represent 
for obvious reasons that fever prevails there the year round, 
and that it is dangerous to resort to it at any time. In this 
manner they have excited senseless alarm in the minds of 
those proposing to come to Florida, and have diverted them 
to other Southern resorts, thus in the end injuring them- 
selves as well as others.' Unprincipled hotel-keepers and 
runners, and the agents of steamboat and railroad lines 
leading to other localities, aid more or less in this fraudu- 
lent attempt to gain patronage. The bugbear malaria is, 
in my humble opinion, a prolific source of disease among 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 203 

visitors to Florida. By misrepresentations (to use a mild 
term) tourists and invalids have been led to believe that 
the entire water-supply is productive of disease, and as a 
consequence they refrain from drinking a sufficient quan- 
tity of water, or dilute it with poor whisky or brandy, to 
counteract its bad effects. Interested parties have expa- 
tiated so much with regard to the air being charged with 
malaria in winter, that invalids and patients become 
alarmed, and as a sequence they daily swallow quinine, and 
thereby produce nervous or functional derangements. They 
keep the pure air out of their rooms, breathe an air con- 
taminated with their own breaths and exhalations, and at 
night assemble in halls and parlors and inhale vitiated air 
poisoned by their own breaths, and the elements resulting 
from the combustion of coal-gas and kerosene. They in- 
hale, for hours at a time, air charged with carbonic acid, 
and shun the pure night air as they would the emanations 
of the deadly upas-tree. Visitors act imprudently, and as 
a consequence suffer from nervous derangements, colds, 
and diarrhoeas, which they attribute to malaria or the cli- 
mate. The cause of slight indispositions affecting visitors, 
is not malaria, but indulgence at table, change of drinking- 
water, eating excessive quantities of fruit, or the inhalation 
of air poisoned by human breaths, or the resultants of the 
combustion of coal-gas and kerosene, and a deficiency of 
the pure air that a beneficent Creator has placed every- 
where within their reach. If visitors would let quinine and 
arsenical pills alone, control their appetites, eat moderately, 
inhale plenty of the salubrious air of the State, and not 
swelter in heated halls, parlors, and unventilated bedrooms, 
we should hear less of the bugbear malaria. At various 
times since 1844, I have navigated the larger streams of 
this State, visited the Everglades and Lake Okechobee, and 
almost every bay, inlet, and river, from Cape Sable to the 
Suwanee River, and for over two months at a time slept in 
an open boat, with nothing but a simple awning stretched 
over the boat's boom, and in no instance did my compan- 
ions or self suffer from malaria or a chill. Before I became 
a resident of the State, my companions and self were unac- 
cli mated, and in no instance were we so foolish as to swal- 
low quinine, arsenic, or alcoholic liquors as antidotes to ma- 
laria or chills. I speak from personal observation, experi- 



204 FLORIDA. 

ence, and extended inquiry in various portions of the State, 
and I unhesitatingly assert that the opinion entertained 
with regard to the prevalence of malaria during the cold 
months in Florida is unfounded. . . . 

" From my observations from Canada to the Gulf of 
Mexico, I am convinced that febrile diseases assume a mild- 
er form, and are more easily cured, in Florida than in States 
to the north of it. I shall no doubt be met with the reply, 
' Look at the waxy complexions and gaunt forms of many 
Floridians, met with at some of the landings and depots.' 
I admit the mild impeachment, and can attribute their ca- 
chectic condition to bad water, insufficient clothing, unsuit- 
able and uncomfortable habitations, and the improper food 
they eat from childhood to the grave. In any other State 
but Florida, they would be the victims of enlarged spleens, 
cardiac dilatation, chronic gastritis, tuberculosis, dropsical 
effusions, or albuminuria. But contrast the natives referred 
to with those who have comfortable homes, sufficient cloth- 
ing, and who drink pure water and use good and nutritious 
food ; or with Northern and Western people who have been 
in the State for years, and the latter will be found to be 
pictures of health. I admit that in Florida, as everywhere 
else, there are insalubrious localities, but they should be 
avoided by strangers. But, to avoid them, interested par- 
ties should not listen to the senseless twaddle of irrespon- 
sible hotel-keepers, hotel, steamboat, and railroad runners, 
or strangers suffering from a severe attack of aerophobia. 
A majority of the cases of illness occurring among visitors 
in this State, are referable to indulgence at table, drinking 
impure water, the inhalation of impure air, the American 
weakness of rushing hither and thither, occupation of un- 
ventilated rooms, and a ridiculous system of senseless drug- 
ging indulged in by strangers, as a consequence of the ad- 
vice given by physicians who are ignorant of the climate 
and its diseases. ... 

" Considering climatic factors, as a result of experience, 
observation, investigation, and study, we are convinced that 
Florida presents more attractions and advantages as a win- 
ter resort for invalids than any State in the Union. The 
temperature is favorable, the mean relative humidity is pe- 
culiarly adapted to the treatment of all forms of pulmonary 
disease, the air is salubrious, and in a large portion of the 



CLIMATE AND HEALTH. 205 

State dry and bracing ; atmospheric changes are infrequent, 
and not so great as in other sections east of the Rocky 
Mountains. Rains are infrequent, and sunshine and fine 
weather the rule. The State possesses insular, interior, dry, 
and moist localities, semi-tropical and cooler sections ; and 
if the nature of any given case should necessitate a change 
of base, a suitable climate can be reached in a few hours 
and at a trifling expense. 

" For fear of being accused of painting Florida in too 
bright colors, we shall use the language of others : 

" Dr. Charles A. Lee, the learned editor of Copeland's 
'- Medical Dictionary,' remarks : ' Proceeding south from 
Canada to Florida, the seasons become more uniform in 
proportion as their annual temperature increases, and they 
glide imperceptibly into each other, exhibiting no great 
extremes. Com.pared with the other regions of the United 
States, the Peninsula of Florida has a climate wholly pecul- 
iar. The climate is so exceedingly mild and uniform, that 
besides the vegetable productions of the Northern States 
generally, many of a tropical character are produced. We 
have already spoken of the mildness of the climate of this 
region ; it appears to possess an insular temperature not 
less equable and salubrious in winter than that afforded by 
the south of Europe, and is, therefore, well adapted to 
those forms of pulmonary disease, as bronchitis and incipi- 
ent phthisis, as are benefited by a mild climate. Mildness 
and iiniformity are the two distinguishing characteristics 
of the Florida Peninsula. If we compare the climate of 
East Florida with the most favored situations on the Con- 
tinent of Europe, and the islands held in the highest esti- 
mation for mildness and equability of temperature, in re- 
gard to the mean temperature of winter and summer, that 
of the w^armest and coldest months, and that of successive 
seasons, we shall find the results generally in favor of the 
former.' After citing the mean difference of successive 
months and annual range of a number of climatic resorts in 
comparison with stations in Florida, he remarks : ' Thus it 
is easily demonstrated that invalids requiring a mild winter 
residence have gone to foreign lands in search of what 
might be found at home — an evergreen land, in which wild 
flowers never cease to unfold their petals.' 

"In discussing the most suitable climates for invalids. 



206 FLORIDA. 

Dr. "Wilson, late Medical Inspector of Camps and Hospitals, 
United States Army, remarks : 'Neither upon the south- 
ern coast of France, nor anywhere under the bright Italian 
skies, can a winter climate be found so equable and so ge- 
nial to the delicate nerves of most invalids as can be en- 
joyed in our sanitary stations, in Florida.' 

" Dr. H. A. Johnson, of Chicago, states : ' I had about 
fifty patients last winter in Florida and Georgia, and they 
came back better. Even those in whose lungs cavities ex- 
isted, were better than they would have been had they 
staid in Illinois. I will, therefore, advise patients in the 
latter stages of consumption to go to Florida.' " 

To this cumulation of evidence and facts it would seem 
that nothing more need be added ; but the following sug- 
gestions, by Dr. D. H. Jacques, of Fernandina, are inserted 
because of their great practical value to invalids, and to all 
those who visit Florida primarily from considerations of 
health : 

" The error into which invalids generally fall lies in sup- 
posing that the benefit to the health to be looked for in the 
South, and especially in Florida, comes directly from the 
warmth. Now, while the warmth is, in itself, a great 
benefit to a large class of invalids, it is not necessary to 
come South for that alone, when it can be got at home by 
artificial means. There are two things, however, which the 
invalid can not get at the North in winter — at least not in 
their fullness — in connection with the artificial warmth sug- 
gested, /"resA air and sunshine. These are the things to 
come South for, and coming for these there will be no dis- 
appointment. The fresh air you will get every hour of the 
day and night. You can not shut it out if you would. As 
for the sunshine, one bathes in it, breathes it, drinks it in at 
every pore, till it permeates the whole system ; and there 
is no medicine like it. It is the invalid's own fault if he 
does not get enough of it ; and to what end is the South 
"sunny" if one will shut himself up in a darkened room? 
An open-air life is easy and pleasant here, the year round. 
The invalid should, according to his strength, take daily 
exercise in the open air. Horseback-riding (and Southern 



CLIMATE AND EEALTH. 207 

saddle-horses are excellent), walking, boating, hunting, and 
fishing offer, in Florida particularly, diversified recreation, 
and the evergreen forests of live-oak and magnolia, or of 
the majestic long-leaved pine, furnish attractive meandering 
roads and bridle-paths. Our gardens, too, if properly kept, 
are always attractive, and there is no day in the year in 
which some flower may not be gathered. That must be a 
lazy person indeed, who, having the strength to get out, 
will shut himself up in the house in such a charming cli- 
mate ; and if one, by reason of weakness, can not take the 
exercise recommended, let him at least bask in the glorious 
light of the Southern skies, which floods the broad veranda 
of every Southern house and penetrates even the most 
shaded garden- walk. 

"Another mistake very generally made by invalids who 
spend the winter in the South is in returning to the North 
too early in the spring. When the weather begins to get 
pretty warm here, and they see the peas in bloom in the 
garden, and the Irish potatoes up and growing, they get 
impatient to be at home ; but at home the peas are still in 
the seed-box, and the potatoes are safe only in the cellar. 
The cold winds and rains, or the snow and sleet, of a I^orth- 
ern March are terribly trying to one who has spent the 
winter in a warm climate, and even April is often far too 
chilly for the invalid's health and comfort. 

" With those who are afflicted with diseases of the lungs 
and bronchial tubes, or are strongly predisposed to consump- 
tion, the best and only safe way is to come here to stay ; 
and they must not wait too long before making up their 
minds and putting their good resolutions into practice. De- 
lays are generally dangerous. In all cases like these they 
are fatal. 

" ^ But the summers are so hot, and malarial fevers so 
prevalent and dangerous,' the reader may say. The re- 
mark suggests another point. Here are two more popular 
errors, and they are the complements of those noted in 
another part of this article. The winter climate is supposed 
to be uniformly warm and delightful, and to possess some 
mysterious, hidden healing virtue. Neither of these as- 
sumptions is correct. There are always brief periods in 
winter, even in Florida, in which the weather is anything 
but lovely, and, as for the mysterious hygienic influences 



208 FLORIDA. 

prevailing here, they are, after all, merely pure air and 
bright sunshine. The supposed extreme heat and unhealth- 
fulness of the summer are equally imaginary. Our sum- 
mers, particularly in Florida, are long and warm, but in- 
stead of being less comfortable and pleasant than those of 
the North, they are more so, and in the main fully as de- 
lightful as the winters. The thermometer often marks a 
higher temperature in New York or Boston than in Fernan- 
dina or Jacksonville, and its variations are much greater there 
than here. Our nights, even in midsummer, are invariably 
cool. We never swelter in our bedchambers, through the 
long dark hours, but sleep sweetly under our blankets, with 
the cool, fresh air circulating all around us. 

" We have chills and fever during the summer and au- 
tumn in many localities, on the borders of some of our 
rivers, creeks, and swamps, and sometimes bilious remittent 
fevers. They prevail in similar situations at the North and 
West, and are there of a severer type. We do not advise 
the invalid to make a permanent home in these malarious 
localities ; and, with these exceptions, the South generally is 
as salubrious in summer as in winter, and as much so, to say 
the least, as any Northern region. Florida affords localities 
without number perfectly free from fevers and all other 
diseases of local origin. These are found on her numerous 
sea-islands and along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, as well 
as on the more elevated and naturally drained pine-lands of 
the interior." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

RETEOSPECTIVE — AN HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

The discovery of Florida carries us back almost to the 
middle ages, and its first permanent settlement antedates 
that of Jamestown by forty-two years and that of Plym- 
outh by fifty-five 5/ ears. No other portion of the North 
American Continent has had so long and so varied a his- 
tory ; and for this reason it will be impossible for me to do 
more here than give a rapid outline or summary of the 
principal events.* 

According;: to some authorities, Sebastian Cabot visited 
the coast of Florida in 1497, only five years after the dis- 
covery of America by Columbus ; but this is very doubt- 
ful, and the received opinion among geographers is that 
Cape Hatteras was the southern limit of Cabot's voyage. 
The actual discovery of Florida is generally credited to 
Ponce de Leon, who, after subjugating the Island of Porto 
Rico, set out in search of a certain Fountain of Youth 
which was at first said to be located on the Island of Bi- 
mini, and then, not being found there, on another island 
farther away to the northwest. He left Porto Rico early 
in 1512, and on the 27th of March reached the coast of 
Florida at a point a little north of the present site of St. 
Augustine. It was Easter-Sunday (called Pascua Florida 
in Spanish) when he made land, and partly on this account, 

* It need hardly be said that the chief authority for this chapter is the 
excellent " History of Florida " by George E. Fairbanks, published by the' 
Lippincotts, of Philadelphia. 



210 FLORIDA. 

partly because of the green and flowery appearance of the 
country, he gave it the name of Florida, and took posses- 
sion of it in the name of their Catholic Majesties of Spain. 
About two months were spent by Ponce de Leon in visit- 
ing different portions of the shores of what he supposed to 
. be an island, and in exploration of the interior ; but he 
found neither the Fountain of Youth nor any indications 
of the exj)ected riches ; and finally, discouraged by his ill 
success and by the fierce hostility of the natives, he aban- 
doned the quest and returned to Porto Rico, where, in 
order to magnify his discovery, he made a flattering report 
of its beauty and richness, and obtained the title and privi- 
leges of Adelantado of Florida, on condition that he should 
conquer and colonize the land. 

Following in the track of Ponce de Leon, a pilot named 
Diego Miruelo visited Florida in 1516, and, having obtained 
some pieces of gold from the natives, spread glowing ac- 
counts of the country among his comrades in Cuba. In 
1517 Fernandez de Cordova landed upon the coast, but was 
so vigorously attacked by a large body of natives that, 
after losing a number of his men, he returned to Cuba to 
die of his own wounds. Shortly afterward one Alaminos, 
who had accompanied the previous expedition, made a de- 
scent with three ships, but was beaten off by the vigilant 
natives in two attempts to land. These disastrous experi- 
ences appear to have dampened for several years the ardor 
of the Spanish adventurers, but in 1520 a rich oflicial named 
De Ayllon, wishing to capture slaves from among the Ind- 
ians, landed at a point now in South Carolina but then in- 
cluded in the limits of Florida, and having inveigled a 
hundred and thirty of the natives on board his ships, set 
sail with them for Hispaniola, and thus won for the Span- 
iards the implacable hatred of all the Floridian tribes. In 
the following year (1521) Ponce de Leon, aroused by the 
exploits of Cortes in Mexico, set out to conquer a new em- 



AJSr HISTORICAL SKETCH. 211 

pire in Florida ; but he greatly underestimated the power 
of the natives, who killed large numbers of his followers, 
drove the rest to their ships, and gave Ponce de Leon him- 
self a wound of which he died shortly afterward in Cuba. 
Three years later (1524), De Ayllon made another slave- 
hunting expedition to " Chicora," but this time the natives 
beat him at his own game, and having lured his j)arty into 
an ambuscade, massacred two hundred of them and com- 
pelled the rest to seek safety in flight. 

For several years after these untoward events the atten- 
tion of Spanish adventurers was absorbed by the splendid 
achievements of Cortes ; but in 1528 Pamfilo de Narvaez, 
commissioned to conquer and govern the country, set out 
from Spain with a great expedition of nearly five hundred 
men-at-arms and landed a little north of Avhat is now known 
as Tampa Bay. Aiming at once to explore the interior 
and to find the stores of precious metals which he was con- 
vinced existed somewhere, he left the ships and set out 
with three hundred men ; but the natives were relentlessly 
hostile, the long-sought gold was never found, provisions 
were wholly unobtainable, and after weary wanderings and 
unspeakable sufferings the expedition perished almost to a 
man, Narvaez himself having been blown to sea during the 
night in a boat in which he was sleeping. The chief result 
of this expedition was the narrative of Cabe9a da Vaca, 
who with three other survivors (all who escaped) became 
famous " medicine-men " among the Indians, and after 
seven years made their way westward by land to their 
countrymen in Mexico. They were the first Europeans 
whose eyes ever beheld the Mississippi River, and Mr. 
Fairbanks points out that the credit of this great discovery 
should be given to Da Yaca rather than to De Soto. 

After the ill-fated expedition of Narvaez, Florida en- 
joyed eleven years of quiet, and then came that expedition 
of Hernando de Soto which is one of the most famous in 



212 FLORIDA. 

the early annals of America. Fresh from the laurels which 
he had acquired under Pizariio, and laden with his share of 
the plunder of the Incas, De Soto easily obtained a com- 
mission to conquer and govern Florida, and with equal ease 
secured a numerous company to aid him in the enterprise. 
On the 25th of May, 1539, his fleet entered a bay which he 
named Espiritu Santo (now Tampa Bay), and disembarked 
one thousand men-at-arms and three hundred and fifty 
horses. Fired by stories which the wily natives here told 
him of the rich cities and " a great store of christal, gold, 
and rubies, and diamonds " that lay to the northward, De 
Soto sent his vessels back, and started boldly forth with his 
followers upon those painful wanderings which ended only 
when half a continent had been traversed, and his worn-out 
body had been anchored to its final resting-place beneath 
the turbid waters of the Mississippi. The story of those 
wanderings is one of the most romantic in history or fiction, 
but it has been so often told as to need no newer version, 
and limitation of space would prevent anything like justice 
being done to it here. Hither and thither through that 
vast territory which borders the Gulf of Mexico, but always 
bearing westward, the ever-dwindling array accompanied 
its indomitable leader during three long and weary years, 
and then, leaving him in his watery grave, the remainder 
coasted the Gulf in improvised boats, and finally reached 
the Spanish settlements in Mexico — only three hundred 
and eleven persons surviving of the thousand who four 
years before had landed at the harbor of Esj^iritu Santo. 

Religious zeal originated the next attempts to effect a 
lodgment in Florida. In 1549 four Franciscan friars landed 
at Espiritu Santo Bay, and tried to penetrate the country ; 
but three of them were incontinently slain by the natives, 
and the other one abandoned in discouragement the attempt 
to Christianize unbelievers who backed up their heresy with 
the hatchet. Ten years later, in 1559, Don Tristan de 



AN HIST OEI GAL SEE TOIL 213 

Luna sailed from Yera Cruz with a great expedition com- 
prising fifteen hundred soldiers, and a large number of 
friars burning with zeal for the conversion of the Indians, 
and landed at the Bay of Pensacola (then called Santa 
Maria Bay). Almost at the outset a great storm wrecked 
the entire fleet and destroyed a large part of the 23rovisions ; 
but De Luna sent back for more, marched into the interior, 
encountered the usual opposition from the natives, lost hun- 
dreds of his men by disease, hunger, and fatigue, quarreled 
bitterly with his subordinate officers, returned discouraged 
to the Bay of Santa Maria, and was finally ordered home 
by the Viceroy of Mexico, under whose auspices the expe- 
dition had been undertaken. 

This abortive enterprise of De Luna's is noteworthy as 
the last of the Spanish exploring expeditious that visited 
Florida. Tv/o years after its disastrous end a party of 
French Huguenots under Jean Ribault came over, and after 
making land near St. Augustine, coasted northward, en- 
tered the St. John's River (which they named the May), 
and established a short-lived colony at what is now Port 
Royal. In 1564 a larger party of Huguenots under Rene 
de Laudouniere landed at the present site of St. Augustine, 
had a friendly interview with the Indians, and then pro- 
ceeded northward to the St. John's, where they built Fort 
Caroline on what is now St. John's Bluff. As was usually 
the case with the French colonists in America, the Hugue- 
nots succeeded in establishing amicable relations with the 
Indians ; but Laudouniere's men were soldiers rather than 
workmen; they were not prudent in the management of 
their supplies, and in 1565 they would have been compelled 
to abandon their undertaking but for the timely arrival of 
an English fleet under Sir John Hawkins, who not only 
generously supplied their more pressing wants but sold them 
a small vessel, and a good store of powder and ball. Even 
this timely aid, however, did not dissuade the colonists 



214 FLORIDA. 

from their fixed determination to return to France ; but on 
the very day fixed for their departure (August 28, 1565) an 
expedition that had been sent out under Ribault for their 
relief arrived in the St. John's with five hundred men, 
besides some families of artisans. 

In the mean time, stirred to fresh endeavor by what 
they regarded as the intrusion of the French, the Spaniards 
had determined to make one more effort to secure the pos- 
sessions that had already cost them so dear ; and a great 
expedition under the command of Menendez, a naval ofiicer 
of considerable distinction, set sail from Cadiz on the 1st 
of July, 1565. This expedition comprised in all about 
twenty-six hundred persons, and about two thirds of 
them reached the coast of Florida, a little south of St. Au- 
gustine, on the 28th of August, the same day that Ribault's 
fleet came to anchor off the mouth of the St. John's. 
Learning from the Indians of the presence of the French, 
Menendez coasted northward, and on the 4th of September 
came in sight of Ribault's vessels, which immediately put 
to sea and escaj^ed their assailants. After a fruitless chase 
of the flying enemy, Menendez returned to St. Augustine 
(which he named in honor of the day of his arrival upon 
the coast), disembarked his forces, and commenced fortify- 
ing. These proceedings being reported to Ribault, the lat- 
ter gathered all his available force, including most of the 
garrison of Fort Caroline, and set sail on September 10th 
with the idea of attacking Menendez before he could com- 
plete his defenses ; but a terrible tempest overtook him, 
drove his vessels far down the coast, and wrecked them 
between Mantanzas and Mosquito Inlet. 

Suspecting that the French fleet had put to sea, and 
that even if it had escaped shipwreck several days must 
elapse before it could make harbor again, Menendez deter- 
mined to attack Fort Caroline, and on September 17th set 
out overland at the head of five hundred men. His success 



AJSr HISTORICAL SKETCH. 215 

was only too complete. The French were taken by surprise, 
and almost without resistance the Spaniards rushed into the 
fort and began an indiscriminate massacre which, for a 
time, spared not even women and children. Only seventy 
persons in all escaped, and some of the prisoners were hung 
upon the neighboring trees with the cynical inscription 
over them, " ISTot as Frenchmen, but as Lutherans." 

Having repaired and strengthened the fort (which he 
named San Mateo), and garrisoned it with three hundred 
men, Menendez returned in triumph to St. Augustine, and 
there learned of the unfortunate position of the shipwrecked 
Ribault. Proceeding to Mantanzas Inlet with a party of his 
men, he compelled the French to surrender, partly by prom- 
ises and partly by threats, and then when they were help- 
lessly at his mercy had them cruelly massacred to a man, 
not even sparing the gallant Ribault. " The atrocitjrof the 
deed," says Mr. Fairbanks, " struck all Europe with horror, 
even in that day ; and the shocking story has been perpet- 
uated over three hundred years, giving the name of Me- 
nendez a stain of infamy which time can not wipe out." 

Thus ended in one of the bloodiest tragedies of history 
the efforts of the French to establish a colony on the south- 
ern coast of America, and for many years the Spaniards 
were left in undisputed possession of their territory. Not 
quite undisturbed, however, for they soon quarreled with 
the natives, and found the latter very different antagonists 
from those more effeminate races whom their countrymen 
had encountered in Mexico and Peru. Even at this early 
date the Florida Indians exhibited the hardy and obstinate 
courage which distinguished them at a later period, and 
they kept the soldiers of Menendez everywhere close shut 
up in their forts. Harassed by these troubles and by dis- 
affection among his own men, Menendez exhibited an in- 
domitable perseverance, and, besides gradually enlarging 
and strengthening St. Augustine, established other posts at 
10 



216 FLORIDA. 

various points, sent out several exploring parties, and se- 
cured a foothold in Florida which was never afterward lost. 
Finally, in the spring of 1567, believing that the interests 
of the settlements would be advanced by his going to Spain, 
he set sail in a small vessel of twenty tons burden which he 
had caused to be built. 

During^ his absence occurred one of the most notable of 
all known instances of that law of retributive justice which 
is said to operate in human affairs. The leaders of the 
French nation had exhibited a singular indifference to the 
sad fate of Ribault and his comrades, and the event ap- 
peared to have been forgotten if not forgiven ; but in the 
breast of an obscure captain named Dominic de Gourgues 
an insatiable thirst for revenge was aroused, and he devoted 
himself to its gratification. Supplementing his own re- 
sources by borrowing money from his friends, he procured 
three small vessels, enlisted one hundred and eighty-four 
men, and set sail on the 22d of August, 1567. Good for- 
tune appeared to wait upon his enterprise in its every stage. 
He secured the hearty cooperation of the Indians, complete- 
ly surprised Fort San Mateo, and captured it with even 
greater ease than Menendez had captured its predecessor. 
Fort Caroline. Most of the garrison fell under the swords 
of the Frenchmen or the clubs of the Indians ; and the 
prisoners, being led to the spot where Menendez had caused 
the Huguenots to be hung in 1565, were suspended beneath 
an inscri^otion which De Gourgues had caused to be burned 
with a red-hot iron upon a tablet of pine : " I do this, not 
as unto Spaniards, nor as to outcasts, but as to traitors, 
thieves, and murderers ! " 

For a period of about a hundred years after this dra- 
matic achievement, the history of Florida offers scarcely a 
single event over which the chronicler finds it worth while 
to linger. Menendez returned to his colony in the spring 
of 1568 and reestablished the confidence that had been im- 



AN HISTORICAL SKETCH. 217 

paired by De Gourgues's inroad ; but he soon tired of his 
profitless position, and going again to Spain he was in 1574 
appointed captain-general of the Spanish fieet. Little prog- 
ress was made in the settlement of the country, and the 
importance of Florida greatly diminished in the public esti- 
mation. In 1586 Sir Francis Drake, returning from a free- 
booting expedition in the Spanish Main, captured and 
burned St. Augustine ; but it was speedily reoccupied and 
rebuilt, though its growth was so slow that as late as 1647 
it only contained three hundred families. In 1665 a noted 
buccaneer captain named John Davis made a descent on 
St. Augustine with seven small vessels, and again pillaged 
and burned the unfortunate town. 

Toward the end of the seventeenth century began those 
hostile demonstrations between the Spanish colonists in 
Florida and the adjacent English colonists in South Caro- 
lina and Georgia which furnish one of the most dismal 
chapters in American history. According to the claim of 
Spain, Florida embraced the entire territory as far north as 
Virginia, and westward to the Mississippi. When, there- 
fore, the English began to settle in the Carolinas the Span- 
iards looked upon it as an unwarrantable intrusion, and, 
moreover, believed that these settlers aided and abetted the 
pirates who preyed upon Spanish commerce in all these 
seas. The ill feeling gradually deepened until, in the year 
1676, the Spaniards sent an expedition to attack the settle- 
ments on the Ashley River, which, however, returned with- 
out having accomplished anything. Two years later anoth- 
er expedition was sent which inflicted great damage upon 
the infant settlements and perpetrated atrocities that aroused 
the bitterest indignation. ■ For a time, however, the Caro- 
linians were too feeble to retaliate, and the Spaniards took 
advantage of the lull to begin colonizing the western coast 
of Florida. In 1696 a fort was built and a settlement estab- 
lished at Pensacola, and a little later St. Mark's was founded. 



218 FLORIDA. 

But by tHs time the Englisli colonists had become con- 
scious of increased strength, and the ambitious Moore hav- 
ing succeeded the cautious Archdale in the government of 
Carolina, advantage was taken of a rupture between Eng- 
land and Spain, and in 1702 a sea and land expedition was 
organized whose object was nothing less than the complete 
conquest of Florida. After capturing and burning St. Au- 
gustine, Governor Moore failed to capture the fort, and 
was compelled to retreat without achieving any of the ob- 
jects with which he had set out. His abortive expedition 
cost the colony of Carolina six thousand pounds, and led to 
the issue of the first paper money ever circulated in Amer- 
ica. The Indians were now introduced into the conflict on 
both sides, the Florida tribes making an unsuccessful incur- 
sion into Carolina in 1702, while in the following year, with 
the aid of the Creeks, Governor Moore attacked and almost 
destroyed the Indian towns under Spanish protection in 
what is now known as Middle Florida. 

From this time on a state of aifairs prevailed something 
like that which used to exist on the Scottish border — forays 
and counter-forays occurring at brief intervals, and the hos- 
tilities on both sides being carried on with all the atrocities 
of savage warfare. The year 1706 saw a joint French- 
Spanish descent on Carolina which was thwarted by the 
skill of the Governor of the latter province ; in 1708 the 
Carolinians made a devastating raid through all Northern 
Florida ; in the year 1714 there was a general outbreak of 
the Indian tribes in Carolina, which was said to have been 
instigated by Spanish emissaries ; and when driven out of 
Carolina several powerful tribes of these Indians took ref- 
uge in Florida, whence they maintained a constant and har- 
assing warfare upon the Carolina settlements. 

In the mean time hostilities had begun between the 
Spanish colonists in West Florida and the French colo- 
nists, in what was then called Louisiana. In 1718 the 



AN EISTORICAL SKETCH. 219 

French capture the Spanish fort at Pensacola ; the Spaniards 
straightway retake it ; the French capture it again in the 
following year, and, thinking to put an end to the matter, 
destroy the fort and bum the town. Nothing daunted, the 
Spaniards begin another settlement on Santa Rosa Island in 
1722, and a few years later rebuild Pensacola. 

Added to the other sources of ill feeling between the 
Spanish and English colonists, was the fact that the former 
afforded a refuge and protection to the fugitive slaves of 
the latter. This had been a fruitful cause of complaint 
from the beginning, and soon a further grievance was 
found in the fact that absconding debtors and other crimi- 
nals found a convenient asylum in Florida. In 1725 an 
unsuccessful attempt was made to settle these difficulties 
amicably ; and in 1727 Colonel Palmer, with a body of 
three hundred militia and some friendly Indians, carried 
fire and sword over the entire province up to the very gates 
of St. Augustine. 

The settlement of the new colony of Georgia by Gen- 
eral Oglethorpe in 1732 was resented by the Spaniards as 
a further encroachment upon their temtory, but, as it in- 
creased very materially the strength of the English colo- 
nists, the latter were not likely to yield to remonstrances. 
Continual bickerings ensued, negotiations between Eng- 
land and Spain led to no result, and finally, in 1740, Ogle- 
thorpe gathered a force of regulars and militia, marched to 
St. Augustine, and, after bombarding the fort uselessly, re- 
turned to his own province. I^ow came the turn of the 
Spanish Governor, Monteano ; so, gathering a force of 
some three thousand men and thirty-six vessels, he set out 
from St. Augustine with the determination to strike a 
decisive blow at the new English colony. At first he was 
successful, but before he had done much damage he was 
baffled by a neat stratagem on the part of Oglethorpe, and 
retreated in deep chagrin. The next year (1743) Ogle- 



220 FLORIDA. 

thorpe again invaded Florida, and offered battle under the 
very walls of St. Augustine, but, having no ordnance, and 
the Spanish refusing to fight in the open, he was compelled 
to retire without accomplishing anything. Fortunately, in 
1748 a treaty of peace between England and Spain caused 
a suspension of these chronic hostilities between the rival 
colonies. Upon the renewal of the war in 1762, Havana 
fell into the hands of the English ; and as Spain wanted 
Cuba and England wanted Florida, an exchange was ef- 
fected by which on the 10th of February, 1763, the prov- 
inces of East and West Florida passed into the possession 
of the British crown. 

Under British rule Florida enjoyed a period of peace 
and growth and prosperity such as it had never before 
known. At the time of the cession, the Spaniards had held 
the country for upward of two hundred and fifty years, yet 
the interior was still almost wholly unexplored, the settle- 
ments were little more than forts, and the entire population 
amounted to only six or seven thousand, of whom many 
left the country on the change of flags. The first English 
Governor (General James Grant) took immediate steps to 
promote the settlement of the province and to develop its 
resources, and his efforts were cordially seconded by the 
public-spirited gentlemen who had been induced to settle 
there. Roads were laid out, bounties were offered for 
indigo and other productions, immigration was encouraged 
in every possible way, and peace was made with the Ind- 
ians. Sir William Duncan and Dr. Turnbull brought out 
fifteen hundred Greeks and Minorcans and settled them at 
New Smyrna ; and, though the enterprise ended disas- 
trously, it had a good effect in calling attention to the 
industrial opportunities afforded by the country. 

In the War of the Revolution Florida took no part, but 
it afforded an asylum for many thousand loyalists from 
Carolina and Georgia, and the British used it as the base 



AR EI8T0EICAL SKETCH. 221 

for their operations against Savannah. Upon the breaking 
out of hostilities between England and Spain in 1779, De 
Galvez, the Spanish Governor of Louisiana, captured Baton 
Rouge, which was then within the limits of West Florida, 
and in 1781 attacked and captured Pensacola. At the 
conclusion of the general peace in 1783, England, feeling 
that Florida thus isolated was no longer worth retaining, 
exchanged it for the Bahama Islands, and the Spanish flag 
once more floated over the peninsula. 

With the passage of the country under foreign domina- 
tion most of the English settlers abandoned their homes 
and went to the " States " ; and a truly Spanish lethargy 
settled down over the land, broken only by Indian wars, 
and by the occasional attempts of " filibusters " to get pos- 
session of the country and erect a " republic." In 1795 
Spain ceded to France all that portion of Florida lying 
west of the Perdido River ; and when, in 1803, Louisiana 
was sold to the United States, all this valuable territory 
passed into the possession of the latter power. In 1812 
Fernandina was captured by a band of " patriots " whose 
actions are thought to have been connived at by the United 
States Government ; and in 1814, the British having sent 
a fleet to Pensacola and manned the forts. General Jackson 
stormed the tow^n and destroyed the fortifications. Again, 
in 1818, General Jackson invaded Florida in order to chas- 
tise the troublesome Seminole Indians ; and finally, by a 
treaty concluded on the 22d of February, 1819, and rati- 
fied on the 19th of February, 1821, the Floridas were ceded 
to the United States. 

Upon the change of flags the administration of affairs 
devolved for a time upon the military authorities ; but on 
March 3, 1822, Congress passed an act establishing the Ter- 
ritory of Florida, and the machinery of free representative 
government was soon in regular working order. Several 
counties were organized, the capital was located at the for- 



222 FLORIDA. 

mer Indian settlement of Tallahassee, and immigration be- 
gan to move in. 

The settling of the country would have proceeded much 
more rapidly but for the difficulties presented by the Ind^ 
ians, who were in possession of the best lands, and extremely 
jealous of their rights. It Avas the desire of the whites that 
the Indians should be removed, like the Creeks, to some 
reservation west of the Mississippi, and negotiations to this 
end were begun in 1828. Several of the chiefs, including 
Osceola, were bitterly opposed to such a change ; but the 
majority were willing at least to consider it, and a delega- 
tion was appointed to visit and report upon the proposed 
reservation. Owing to procrastination and delays, this del- 
egation did not set out upon their journey until September, 
1832, and upon their return in March, 1833, their report 
was favorable. But in the mean time the opposition among 
the Indians had become more violent, and many of them re- 
fused to accept the recommendation of the delegated chiefs. 
The United States authorities, holding that the Indians were 
bound under the terms of the treaty to accept this recom- 
mendation, determined to force them to do so ; and there- 
upon began the longest, bloodiest, and costliest war that was 
ever waged between whites and Indians in America. 

This war — known in history as the Seminole War — was 
too complex in its operations and too varied in its vicissi- 
tudes to be dealt with in detail here. An admirably clear 
and minute account of it will be found in the closing chap- 
ters of Fairbanks's " History of Florida," and with less space 
than is there devoted to it justice can not be done to the 
subject. Beginning with the appalling massacre of Major 
Dade's command on the 28th of December, 1835, the war 
raged unceasingly until August, 1842. The Indians fought 
with amazing pertinacity and courage, and the result of the 
campaigns of 1835 and 1836 was decidedly in their favor. 
After that they gradually lost ground ; but not until General 



AN HISTORICAL SKETCH. 223 

Worth took command in 1841, and inaugurated the policy 
of pushing the campaign in summer as well as winter, and 
of tracking them to their swamp fastnesses, was their spirit 
quenched or the vigor of their resistance broken. When 
the deadly conflict at length ended, most of the Indians 
who had escaped death had been transported beyond the 
Mississippi, and only an insignificant remnant of the once 
powerful Seminole tribe was left in a reservation at the 
southern end of the peninsula, where their descendants still 
support themselves frugally by hunting, fishing, and the 
raising of cattle. 

But, though triumphant in the end, the United States 
had paid dearly for the victory. Six or seven generals had 
been employed with varying degrees of ill fortune, the lives 
of fourteen hundred and sixty-six regular soldiers, of whom 
two hundred and fifteen were officers, had been lost, and the 
expenditures had amounted to upward of nineteen million 
dollars, a vastly larger sum then than now. And worse than 
all, perhaps, the growth of Florida had been set back fully a 
generation. Plantations that dated from the earliest settle- 
ment of the country had been broken up, agricultural occu- 
pations had been almost completely suspended, hundreds of 
families had been either butchered or driven off, and immi- 
grants were deterred from venturing where the conditions 
of life were so precarious. Of the many cruel misfortunes 
to which Florida has been subjected, the Seminole War was 
probably the most disastrous in its effects. 

For the later history of Florida — that which has oc- 
curred within our own remembrance — we must content our- 
selves with a few dates which may be useful for reference, 
and for which the last edition of Appletons' " Cyclopaedia " 
is our authority. 

Florida was admitted into the Union as a State on the 
3d of March, 1845. An ordinance of secession from the 
Union was passed on the 10th of January, 1861, by a con- 



224: FLORIDA. 

vention wliicli had assembled on the 3d. On the 7th Fort 
Marion, the arsenal at St. Augustine, and the Chattahoochee 
arsenal were seized by order of the State authorities ; and 
on the 12th, the navy-yards and forts at Pensacola were 
taken. Early in the following year (1862) Fernandina, 
Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and other places on the east 
coast, were retaken by the national forces, and held to the 
close of the war. Restrictions on commercial intercourse 
with Florida were removed by a proclamation of President 
Johnson dated April 29, 1865, and on July 13th William 
Marvin was appointed provisional Governor. On October 
10th was held an election of delegates to a State Conven- 
tion, which assembled in Tallahassee on the 25th, and on 
the 28th repealed the ordinance of secession. Subsequently 
a Legislature and State officers were elected, to whom the 
civil authority was transferred in January, 1866. Under 
the reconstruction measures of Congress in 1867 Florida 
was made a part of the Third Military District, of which 
Major-General Pope was appointed commander. A conven- 
tion to reorganize the State government was authorized by 
vote of the people in November, 1867. It assembled at 
Tallahassee on the 20th of January, 1868, and subsequently 
framed a new Constitution, which was ratified by the people 
in May. At the same election State officers and a Legislat- 
ure were chosen. The Legislature convened on June 1st, 
and adopted the fourteenth amendment to the Federal 
Constitution, in consequence of which Florida was recog- 
nized as a State by the General Government. On July 4th 
of that year the government was transferred to the State 
authorities. 

The growth of the population of Florida has been as 
follows : in 1830, 34,730 ; in 1840, 54,477 ; in 1850, 87,445 ; 
in 1860, 140,424 ; in 1870, 187,748 ; in 1880, 271,864. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

FLOEIDA FOLKS AND FAMILIES. 

Floeida is rapidly becoming a Northern colony. The 
tide of immigration to this State is large and steadily in- 
creasing, and is beyond doubt soon to assume immense pro- 
portions, and the immigrants as a class are unusually intel- 
ligent people. N^early all of native American birth, the 
foreign-born element is of insignilicant dimensions at this 
date. 

Generally described, they are people who read — and con- 
tinue to read — and are well posted on the resources and ad- 
vantages of the various sections of the United States, and 
know exactly what they desire. They come here with a 
fixed purpose, that only requires a short period of local 
observation and examination of the precise soil and climate 
for their proposed special enterprise. It is no mining ex- 
citement attraction here, with visions of gold to be picked 
up in lumps, but a healthy feeling of hope of a genial cli- 
mate, and a slow but steadily increasing wealth made 
from the soil. There is a total absence of the wild, anx- 
ious, eager class of excited, young, single men arrayed in 
flannel shirts, broad felt hats, top-boots, armed with knives 
and immense navy revolvers, their brains filled with vision- 
ary ideas of suddenly acquired wealth, that are so plentiful 
in Western countries and mining regions. 

The immigrants to this section are the extreme oppo- 
site ; they are, as a class, middle-aged men, mostly with 
families, evidently of good average education, well dressed. 



226 FLORIDA, 

of quiet, deliberate demeanor and a fixed purpose ; just the 
class that establish the very best of peaceable, healthy, 
sound, safe, and in every way desirable communities. Such 
people seldom emigrate, and always improve themselves 
and their community wherever they reside. 

All States and sections are represented in this stream of 
immigrants. There are colonies from Wisconsin, Michigan, 
western New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Indiana, 
and Ohio. The latter State appears to have the largest 
representation here ; they are largest in numbers, and more 
of them are to be found occupying positions of trust, influ- 
ence, and general confidence, than of any other State. New 
England as a region is largely represented — quite a New 
England winter garden — and it is mainly New England 
energy, brains, and solid capital that are now developing the 
State. Nearly all the railroads, steamboats, mills, facto- 
ries, and the like, are directly or indirectly the product of 
New England or New York brain-work and capital. 

One very noticeable feature of the population here is 
the small number of foreign-born people, especially of the 
Irish race. I have met but about a dozen of the latter in 
all parts of the State, and but one of them was of the regu- 
lation typical " son of the sod," having the pure brogue. 
All whom I met were occupying good positions, and ap- 
peared to be in prosperous circumstances — far better than 
the average of Irish people in the North. Germans are 
also few in actual numbers, but there are more of them 
than of any other class of foreign birth, probably more 
than of all other foreign-born combined ; and, as is the 
rule with that excellent, industrious, thrifty, frugal, peace- 
able race, they are all doing well, and generally own good 
homes, shops, stores, saloons, or gardens. The Swedes, of 
whom there is a colony in XJpsala, near Sanford, are a very 
prosperous, industrious, healthy, and enterprising class, and 
make excellent colonists. 



FLORIDA FOLKS AND FAMILIES. 227 

There are many natives of Old England residing in all 
portions of the State. Hale, hearty, thrifty, and industri- 
ous, their families and homes are pleasing evidences of 
prosperity and the sound judgment typical of the solid Eng- 
lish land-owner the vrorld over. 

Of Chinese there are very few, though there ought to 
be many of them in Florida. I believe in the "heathen 
Chinee " ; his neatness, thrift, and excellent unobtrusive- 
ness, always quiet and orderly, are in every way commend- 
able ; and everywhere I found the people favoring Chinese 
immigration — in fact, a general desire to replace the colored 
labor with Chinese labor. Colored labor for the house, 
field, grove, or garden, while easy to control, is very far 
from satisfactory. It is always uncertain, indolent, and 
negligent, unless closely and incessantly watched. As a 
class, the colored servants are given to falsehood and petty 
theft, are liable to leave you without a word of warning 
just when badly needed, and are wasteful of your stores 
and provender. There are exceptions, but such are few, 
and can not be relied on ; their only praiseworthy quality 
is their easy good-nature. The silent, neat, careful, polite 
Chinese are far preferable. 

The least desirable of American immigrants are, as a 
class, from "Alabawma." They are the real and ideal 
"cracker," mostly very poor, ignorant, shiftless, improvi- 
dent, conceited, and lazy ; and they are about the only class 
of immigrants to Florida that are useless. They are to this 
State what the low class of Europeans are to the Northern 
States — a damage and a hindrance. There are excellent 
people in Alabama, and some very worthy families come 
here from there, but the lower class of them as a rule are 
not very beneficial to any State. The best immigrants from 
the Southern States are from Georgia ; in fact, the average 
Georgian is a shrewd, thrifty, sober, industrious individual 
— a regular Southern Yankee. They are good citizens if at 



228 



FLORIDA. 



all educated, and are nearly always on tlie side of law, order, 
and progress. 

The native Florida " crackers " are few in numbers, and 
are rapidly becoming fewer. They have but little influence 
in the affairs of the counties or in the several communities ; 
but, singularly enough, they have a preponderance in the 




A CouNTEY Cart. 



State Legislature, owing to the manner in which the repre- 
sentatives are chosen, and their influence there is not very 
beneficial, to say the least. Time and immigration, how- 
ever, will change all this condition of things. The best class 
of these " crackers " are the cattle-herders, a tough, rough, 
and dare-devil, good-natured crowd, to be sure, but active, 
and more wide-awake than that class generally are, especial- 
ly those found near the settlements. 

In the northern counties dwell the old-time aristocracy 
of the State, the class who were the intelligent, fashionable 
society of the South. They are, however, few in numbers 
at present, are exclusive and proud, and yet at heart are 
very worthy, kind-hearted, and truly good people. Their 



FLORIDA FOLKS ARD FAMILIES. 229 

only fault is that they were born, reared, and trained under 
absolutely different social conditions from those which now 
obtain, and they can not learn to fully accustom themselves 
to their new life and surroundings. They mean well, and 
deserve respectful sympathy. They can not learn the Chi- 
cago-New England spirit of progression, and it is useless to 
expect it of them — that is, of that generation now passing 
its latter day of prime. It is to be hoped that the gen- 
eration now growing into manhood may better understand, 
and be more disposed to take, an active part in the " mani- 
fest destiny " of the State. It must realize that in Florida, 
as elsewhere, "the old order of things passes away, giving 
place to the new." 

It is entirely useless — notwithstanding all arguments to 
the contrary — for the Northern immigrant to expect to be- 
come an intimately familiar guest and neighbor of the old 
residents and aristocrats of the South. They will tell you 
they " welcome you," and if you are a gentlemanly, peaceable, 
respectable citizen, they do welcome you, after a fashion ; 
but it is the welcome extended to a polite stranger — sincere 
but cool, honest but always formal. It is vastly different 
from the state of society at the West, and for vastly dif- 
ferent reasons. In the West is found no former " old-time " 
society ; the settlers there are themselves the original and 
only society ; and, as is always the case with sensible peo- 
ple when they meet in far-off places, they are sociable, 
hearty, and cordial toward one another. There all are 
deemed respectable members of society until convicted of 
crime or misdeed. Here in the South, the older residents 
do not, and I believe can not, understand that sentiment of 
social intercourse and bluff, hearty good-fellowship which 
is felt among the peoples of the East, North, and West ; 
and the new-comer might as well give up any hope or re- 
sentment in the matter. It is caused by the laws of human 
nature that make the Esquimau, the Chinese, the Russian, 



230 FLORIDA. 

the Turk, the Frencliman, the Englishman, the New-Eng- 
lander, and the Southerner, each believe his country, people, 
and customs to be the best. It can not be changed in one 
generation. The immigrant from other regions must sim- 
ply wait patiently until there is a sufficient number of other 
immigrants settled near him to form a congenial circle of 
intimates. In the mean time, one thing is sure : in health 
or sickness, in trouble or disaster, you will always receive 
kindly attention, care, and assistance from these excellent 
people, if you at all deserve it. 

The rush of immigration is to the semi-tropical central 
Florida regions along the Transit Railroad, the St. John's 
River, and the coasts ; these are the localities where the 
new settlers are pouring in, clearing lands, fencing, building 
homes, setting out groves, planting gardens, building rail- 
roads, mills, factories, etc. Putnam, Sumter, Yolusia, Or- 
ange, Brevard, Marion, Alachua, Manatee, and all the coun- 
ties of that extensive section, are the chosen spots of the 
new-comers ; and that section will soon be the most popu- 
lous and powerful portion of the State. In none of these 
counties will the new-comer find himself far away from 
congenial companionship and friendly associations. 

Churches are being built in all the new towns and ham- 
lets, and nowhere is religion more strictly observed than in 
Florida. In all the older towns and communities they have 
as attractive and as well-attended churches as anywhere in 
our country. Schools are scarce, but are increasing. The 
State has a good school law, and the school system is 
gradually developing into a strong and vigorous condition : 
but it will take time, more settlers, and care to make it 
anything like Indiana, Illinois, or such States of special 
educational facilities. The State Legislature, too, must 
pass under the control of a class of law-makers who have 
lived under and seen the effect of a liberal support of pub- 
lic schools. . Even if they were excellent legislators on gen- 



FLORIDA F0LE8 AND FAMILIES. 231 

eral questions and requirements, most of the present law- 
makers of both political parties know little or nothing of 
the perfect educational systems of the North and West. 
It is not at all a question of their political views, but a bare 
fact that they do not know anything about it. 

But there are other drawbacks, for which the Legislat- 
ure or people can not be held to blame. In the first place, 
the number of children is so small, and the territory of the 
districts necessarily so large, that the schools are lightly 
attended. In the next place, the wages paid the teachers 
are too low to make it an object for first-class instructors 
to seek positions here, except an occasional person who has 
come here for health and light employment ; and even 
these soon find more lucrative occupations. In the older, 
larger cities, like Tallahassee, Tampa, Key West, Pensa- 
cola, and all old-settled places, especially Jacksonville, 
there are very good schoolhouses, good teachers, and good 
methods ; but the terms should be made longer, and the 
pay to all teachers considerably increased. 

There is comparatively little crime in Florida ; prop- 
erty and life are nowhere safer than here. This is very 
noticeable where the homes are few and far between, and 
of such light construction that they might easily be entered 
by the burglar or more desperate villain. Such scoundrels 
are remarkably few. The laws are generally well enforced 
on all such evil-doers ; and where these fail or are too dila- 
tory, a rough-and-ready popular justice is apt to perform 
their work. The judges and justices as a class compare 
favorably with those of other States. 

Much has been said and written about crimes committed 
in this State as the result of color and politics. It is 
stoutly asserted by some that many lives have been lost 
and much property destroyed from these causes ; and it is 
as stoutly denied by others that such things have been 
done. I believe there have been such crimes committed, 



232 FLORIDA. 

and that politics has been the cause of much trouble, loss of 
life, and damage to property ; but I have not included any 
of these acts in my views about scarcity of crime, for I do 
not regard political outrages, however atrocious, as belong- 
ing to the common-law class of crimes, great or small. 
They are different, resulting from entirely different causes, 
in which it is fair to suppose the followers of both political 
beliefs were in some degree in fault, and that the remedy 
and total avoidance can only be brought about by intelli- 
gent, friendly understanding of the rights of all. Time, 
education, and commercial prosperity only will prevent 
these political misunderstandings and crimes. And it must 
be remembered that it is but a few years since a great war, 
with its embittering, desolating effects, was raging, and 
that this region was a battle-ground, and the participants 
in these disgraceful political quarrels were engaged on the 
two sides of that great struggle. But happily such ani- 
mosities, such disturbances, and such unhappy influences 
are rapidly passing away, and everywhere the political is 
giving way to the enterprising commercial interest. The 
elections of 1880 were undoubtedly as peaceably conducted 
in Florida as in any other State of our Union. The mis- 
doings, if any, were such as time, better laws, and sound 
common-sense will eradicate and effectually put an end to. 
The negroes, who form so prominent an element in the 
other Southern States, are less numerous and less conspicu- 
ous in Florida than elsewhere ; though of course, as they 
perform most of the manual labor and are almost the only 
attainable domestic help, they are found everywhere in 
greater or smaller numbers. Here, as always, they are a 
picturesque and amusing class, and one of the most interest- 
ing episodes of my life in Florida is connected with a pe- 
riod of several months during which I was in continual and 
close contact with large numbers of them in the construc- 
tion of the South Florida Railroad. Holding official re- 



FLORIDA FOLKS AND FAMILIES. 233 

lations with this enterprise in several capacities, I was at one 
time commissaryj and this, of course, involved almost con- 
stant relations with the laborers. These laborers, who were 
all negroes, except the mechanics, numbered about six hun- 
dred, and were mostly Georgians, who came in gangs espe- 
cially for the railway service. 

They were a strange set of beings. The pleasure-seeker 
who visits a minstrel entertainment in the North may sup- 
pose he is seeing a comical creature of the imagination, but 
it is not so ; in fact, the most grotesque acting or the most 
distorted lingual expressions that the " nigger delineator " 
ever perpetrated on the stage is far from equaling the re- 
ality as seen and heard in a camp of negro laborers. Such 
wonderful jokes, such crushing retorts, such verbal pyro- 
technics, and such uproarious shouts of laughter, can never 
be heard elsewhere ; and the accompanying gestures and 
pantomime are often more original and characteristic than 
the language itself. The only drawback to the amusement 
of listening at these gatherings is the shocking profanity 
and disgustingly vile language in which the negroes indulge. 
The most simple remarks in their social conversation are 
commonly interlarded with a number of oaths and foul 
words that is positively startling. They seem to think that 
it strengthens and emphasizes their conversation ; and there 
can be no doubt that the practice is partly due to their as- 
sociation with low whites, and to a desire to " talk as big as 
the white folks." 

The camp reached, after a day's labor, all hands would 
speedily bring out their stowed-away " grub-boxes." Fires 
were quickly burning, and soon a multitude of skillets were 
ranged over the coals, in each a chunk of fat side-pork ; 
this, and a cupful of boiled " grits " or hominy, with mo- 
lasses for sauce, and a cup of coffee, is their usual meal. 
Sometimes they vary this with a can of salmon, or a fresh 
fish caught in the innumerable lakes, or a gopher caught in 



234: FLORIDA. 

the woods, and made into soup. (This last is a species of 
large land-turtle ten to twenty inches across its back-shell, 
living in deep holes which it burrows in the ground. They 
are very plentiful, and their cavernous-looking retreats are 
everywhere seen here. They are incorrectly called "go- 
phers " by the negroes and natives.) They also frequently 
make up batches of corn or wheat-flour cake, to be eaten 
with molasses. Pork, however, is their chief article of 
food ; they ate it three times a day, and averaged about 
five pounds each in seven days. 

Meals over, the fun began. Musical instruments, con- 
sisting mainly of banjoes, fiddles, and guitars, began thrum- 
ming everywhere ; soon a jig would strike up, all the feet 
(such feet !) would begin beating time, and before very 
long some dancer would bound forward and commence a 
shuffle, perhaps two or three others joining in, and keep it up 
until tbey dropped from sheer exhaustion. And the sing- 
ing, especially after sunset, was always a noticeable feature, 
frequently quite fine. When two or three voices start — 
joined in one of their countless melodies, like nothing heard 
elsewhere — it is very attractive. Generally all hands in 
camp would join in the chorus ; and when heard a little dis- 
tance off through the pine-woods, it was strangely beauti- 
ful and often solemnly sweet. 

As a class, the genuine, pure blacks are always the best 
laborers ; they work hardest, most willingly, honestly, and 
efficiently, always performing the most labor in a day, and 
making least trouble to the foremen and officers. The gen- 
uine African is an excellent, worthy worker. But it is dif- 
ferent with " them yeller fellers." These are always more 
dainty, more quarrelsome ; they are the class that carry 
watches and revolvers, always shirk, always do things a 
trifle different from the way ordered, always quarrel with 
their foremen about their time, about their rations, about 
their pay, and about everything. They are up to all manner 



FLORIDA FOLKS AND FAMILIES. 235 

of tricks, giving tlieir names differently to their foremen, 
the commissary clerk, and the paymaster, creating all sorts of 
unexpected confusion and disputes, requiring close care and 
watching, greatly increasing the duties of the overseers. 
If there was any mischief or deviltry in the camp, we nearly 
always discovered that a mulatto was at the bottom of it. 

The 10th of each month was pay-day, the great day 
with the darkeys, and a busy day at the pay-table. It was 
a regulation holiday with the gangs ; not a bit of work 
would they perform, but at an early hour they would gather 
at the pay-office — scuffling, dancing, shouting, singing — a 
happy crowd indeed. One dollar per day was the regular 
standard price ; the colored " spikers " (men who drive the 
track-spikes) and sub-foremen received a dollar and twen- 
ty-five to a dollar and forty cents per day. The older 
darkeys of about forty or fifty years, especially the genu- 
uine blacks, were, as I have said, by far the best laborers ; 
they usually kept records to " tallies " of their labor, and 
always were correct. But the young darkeys, especially 
the " yeller fellers," the class that loves to dance and sing, 
never averaged over fifteen days' labor in the month, and 
were always disputing their time-accounts. 

After pay-day they would strangely be missing — that is, 
the younger class — but a hunt through the woods would 
reveal their whereabouts ; under the trees and in out-of- 
the-way thickets they were to be found in small, quiet, 
earnest-faced little groups — gambling ! The darkey is a 
most inveterate gambler, the equal of the Chinaman or 
Indian in this vice. The Chinaman will gamble himself 
away — that, is he will bind himself to work for his winning 
opponent for certain lengths of time ; the Indian will gam- 
ble away his horses, tepees (or wigwams), squaws, and 
paj)ooses ; but the darkey will gamble all he has earned 
by months of hard labor, and all he can steal from his hard- 
working fellow-laborers. 



236 



FLORIDA. 



After two or three days tbe gangs would begin to return 
to work, silent for a day or two, dispirited, disgusted, dead- 
broke — ^in fact, " played out." 

Two or three of them wouldn't return to work — no, 
sir ! They put on airs, joked, smoked cigars, ate melons, 
bananas, etc., and went on a trip down the river to Jack- 
sonville, bought watches, canes, etc. They were the win- 
ning gamblers. 

The pay-rolls exhibited a lamentable condition of igno- 
rance among them, less than ten per cent, signing their 
names. About thirty or forty whites of the poorer class of 
natives were employed on the gangs, and the lack of edu- 




OUT FOR A DkIVE. 



cation was even greater among this class, for less than four 
per cent, could sign their names. In reply to the request 
to "sign your name," the old darkeys always politely 
replied, '*I can't write, sir" ; but the whites would, in a 



FLORIDA FOLKS AJSTB FAMILIES. 237 

shamed manner and low tone, say, " You jest put it down, 
please, my hand is hurted and sort o' weak like — ahem ! " 
or they would remark that their hand was " so dirty." I 
have seen them slyly wrap a bit of cloth or a handkerchief 
about their hand while awaiting their turn, so as have an 
excuse for not signing. 

As a rule, the young blacks can read and write, and are 
very proud of the accomplishment. They seize the pen 
and delight to attach their autographs (generally of three 
or four names, the Williams and Johnsons greatly in the 
majority) in an airy, rapid, careless sort of style ; it always 
profoundly impresses the assembled lookers-on, and adds 
a dignity to labor that is quite overpowering to witness. 
The blacks are always solid friends to all educational im- 
proverafents. In all their camps were individuals who did 
the reading and writing ; read the newspapers aloud, read 
the letters received by their less intelligent companions, 
and wrote the letter and postal-card replies — this class are 
"immense" on letters. Frequently these scribes (always 
young) make a pretty good thing of it in this amanuensis 
service. 

It was often a group quite worth seeing to visit one of 
their camps in the evening. There the large fire of pitch- 
pine knots was blazing brightly, lighting up their small 
collection of queer little huts built of railroad-ties, in the 
tall pine-woods, making a good picture indeed, with the 
entire party all grouped about one of their number — all in- 
tently listening to him reading the latest newspaper ; they 
always insisted that he should read it all. Such intense at- 
tention, eager eyes, and various attitudes, such quiet, ear- 
nest facial expressions, and such costumes — or lack of cos- 
tumes — all frequently formed pictures that would delight 
an artist. 

And after the reading was completed, then to hear the 
Babel of arguments, opinions, and comicalities, was another 



238 FLORIDA. 

source of interest to the observer. Often their jokes and 
puns were quite original and good. 

It is always something of an astonishment to find how 
well posted these otherwise ignorant negroes are on politi- 
cal matters, local events, or any important occurrences ; 
they seem to have a secret sort of freemasonry by which 
they learn everything going on. Ignorant, but very cun- 
ning and unscrupulous, they would be a terribly dangerous 
element of society, were it not for their well-known fear of 
fire-arms, and their naturally peaceful disposition. As a 
rule, all negroes go armed ; razors are their characteristic 
and specially favorite weapon ; but they are very fond of 
revolvers also, and many of them carry one. Give the or- 
dinary negro a cheap shiny watch, a revolver, and a cane, 
and he is " happy as a lord." 

The negro, I think, will not play a permanent or promi- 
nent part in Florida. In moderate numbers, no doubt, he 
will always be found there, but his shiftless, incompetent, 
and indolent ways will not long be endured by the class of 
vigorous and thoroughgoing ISTorthern and Western men 
who constitute the bulk of the immigration to Florida at 
present. The better class of foreign laborers will gradually 
supersede him, and should John Chinaman ever be intro- 
duced in any considerable numbers, as I have suggested, 
the days of " Sambo " and " Cuffee " would speedily be 
numbered. 



CHAPTER XY. 

OEANGE-CULTUEE. 

The orange is by far ttie most important of the semi- 
tropical fruits grown in Florida, and its culture is rapidly- 
becoming the leading industry of the State. In nearly all 
sections it is found growing either in fields or house-gar- 
dens, as common and as natural to the climate and locality 
as the apple in the colder States. Whether or not it is in- 
digenous is as yet an unsettled question, but the weight of 
evidence seems to be in favor of the idea that it was first 
introduced by the Spaniards, and that the many wild groves 
of " sour " oranges that are now found in various localities 
are simply the result of that deterioration which all the cul- 
tivated fruits undergo Avhen left for long periods to run 
riot in a state of nature. It is well known that the apple, 
left to itself for a sufficient period, will ultimately revert to 
the "crab" ; and the difference between the "crab" and 
the choice varieties of the eating apple is about the same as 
the difference between the wild " sour " orange and the cul- 
tivated "sweet." 

Since the earliest settlement, apparently, oranges have 
been grown in Florida, but in a very careless and desultory 
way. It is only since the war that any special attention 
has been given to their production, or any effort made to 
cultivate them for profit ; and what is sometimes called the 
" orange craze " has developed within the past six or eight 
years. The financial panic of 1873 caused many people 
11 



240 



FLORIDA. 



who were educated and shrewd to seek other and less pre- 
carious oj^portunities for investment than are afforded by 
ordinary "business." Many of these, gathering together 
the wrecks of their fortunes, came to Florida ; and, quickly 
perceiving the commercial value of this and similar fruits, 
set the " boom " going that has already attained immense 
proportions, and is increasing annually with gigantic strides. 
At present, the orange is undoubtedly the staple product 




Orange-Tkees. 



of the State : it is to Florida what cattle are to Texas, 
corn and pork to Illinois, wheat to Iowa, and peaches to 
Delaware. 



ORANGE-CULTUEE. 241 

An orange-tree is a very attractive siglit at all seasons 
of the year — with a straight, symmetrical, upright trunk 
covered with a smooth, sleek, pale-gray bark, and graceful 
curving branches which spread in all directions and are al- 
ways clothed with an abundant foliage of rich, glossy, dark- 
green leaves — that is, if the tree is well cared for. Its regu- 
lar blossoming season is the spring, but trees may be seen 
in blossom at all seasons, and sometimes one may see on 
the same tree blossoms, and green and mature fruit. The 
blossom is a small star-shaped flower, snow-white, and of a 
waxy look. The oranges ripen from late in November 
until early in March, depending somewhat upon the variety 
and the season ; and it would be difficult to imagine a more 
fascinating spectacle than a grove, or even a single tree, 
when fully laden with its ripe, golden-hued, luscious fruit. 

The orange is a very hardy tree in its own natural 
habitat and under the right conditions — cold being its chief 
enemy. It is sociable, too, and appears to like human com- 
panionship ; it being a noticeable fact that those trees that 
are nearest inhabited dwellings are usually the largest and 
most prolific. It continues to grow until thirty to forty 
years of age, and is estimated to afford a productive yield 
for at least a hundred years. In a famous grove in the 
northern part of the State stands a tree known to be up- 
ward of eighty years old, yet it has every appearance of 
youthful vigor, and bears enormous crops. Orange-trees 
are hardly in what can be called their prime until after 
they are twenty years old, and then they increase in value 
for at least twenty years more. 

It is surprising under how much neglect the orange will 
live and even thrive, but, in order to be made a reliable 
source of profit, it must be constantly and intelligently 
cared for. The remainder of this chapter will be devoted 
to pointing out a few of the essential conditions of success- 
ful orange-culture — such as will enable the beginner to 



212 FLORIDA. 

avoid the mistakes that are most commonly made ; but, 
for more specific and minute details, the proposed fruit- 
grower must provide himself v/ith a trustworthy and com- 
prehensive treatise.* 

Location. — This is the most important consideration in 
starting a grove. With proper care oranges will grow in 
almost any part of Florida, but it is wise to select a location 
which combines the largest^ possible number of favorable 
conditions. As 1 have already said, cold is the greatest 
enemy of the orange -grower, and a fierce controversy has 
been raging for several years between different sections of 
the State as to what is called a " frost-line," above which, 
so it is said, orange-culture can not be pursued with any 
confidence in the returns, w^hile below it the danger from 
frost is very slight. This line is usually placed at the 
twenty-eighth or twenty-ninth degree of latitude. ' Those 
living south of the " frost-line " direct attention to the fact 
that during the severe winters of 18T6-'7T and 1880-'81 
nearly all the fruit in the section north of it was irreme- 
diably spoiled and lost. On the other hand, those living 
north of the line call attention to the undeniable fact that 
a large majority of the old and productive groves are lo- 
cated above the supposed line, and that immensely the 
larger portion of the " Florida oranges " have been for many 
years, and are still, furnished by this section. It is difficult 
to reach any definite conclusions regarding the matter, f as 

* Much the best work on the subject is Rev. T. W, Moore's " Treatise 
and Handbook on Orange-Culture in Florida," of which a new, revised, and 
enlarged edition has just been published by E. R. Pelton & Co., 25 Bond 
Street, New York. 

\ My own personal opinion is that it is, to say the \Q2iQi, prudent to get 
as far south as possible. There can be no doubt that killing frosts are 
rarer in the more southern portions of the peninsula, and it is well to avoid 
as many risks as possible, even if it be admitted that no portion of the 
State is wholly exempt from frost. Moreover, there are other tropical and 
semi-tropical fruits the culture of which may be profitably combined with 



ORANGE-CULTURE. 243 

botli views are advocated with equal ardor and sincerity by 
equally able and experienced men. There are two or three 
points, however, that may be regarded as settled. The in- 
dustry can not be entered upon with any certainty in the 
northern or northwestern portions of the State. Most of the 
old and valuable groves in the upper division are located 
on the east side of the St. John's River, and their compara- 
tive immunity from the effects of cold is attributed to the 
extensive water-protection on the northwest. Mr. Moore 
considers that the water-protection afforded by the St. John's 
is equivalent to at least one hundred miles of southerly dis- 
tance ; and throughout the peninsula it is considered de- 
sirable to secure the protection of a body of water on the 
northwest, the direction whence the cold winds come. In 
the absence of water, a protection of forest-trees is valuable, 
but these should shelter the trees on the southeast. Another 
important consideration in locating an orange-grove is ac- 
cessibility to market : one should be sure to locate himself 
either near some established line of transportation or in the 
immediate vicinity of some line that is sure to be established 
in the near future. To haul oranges even ten miles over 
such roads as those of Florida is no slight task, and the 
fruit is very liable to be damaged in the process and thus 
rendered worthless. 

Soil, etc. — Says Mr. Moore : "The orange will grow in 
a variety of soils — in clayey, sandy, shelly, or loamy soils, 
in hammocks black or gray, on pine-lands or black-jack 
ridges. It does well on soil underlaid with clay or sand. 
It will even do well on a light soil underlaid with white 
sand if fertilizers are applied annually. But whoever 
wishes to plant an orange-grove should be careful to select 
the best available soil. Perhaps the poorest soil suitable 
for orange-growing is that underlaid with a white sand, as 

tliat of the orange, and these can not be grown with profit noi^th of Lake 
George. — G. M. B. 



244 FLORIDA. 

such a soil leaches very readily the soluble manure. Per- 
haps the best soil is found in our dark-gray hammock with 
deep soil underlaid with a yellow clay or yellow sand sub- 
soil. The natural growth should be tall and large with an 
abundance of live-oak and hickory, as such a growth would 
indicate an abundance of lime. Of our pine-land, that on 
which the hickory is found mixed with the pine, with yellow 
subsoil, should rank first. Such a soil is really a mixed 
hammock and pine. Next to this is the pine mixed with 
willow, oak, and black-jack. Considering the ease with 
which such lands as the last two classes are cleared and 
planted, the readiness with which the orange grows on them, 
they deserve a high rank, and especially if fertilizers are 
close at hand. In selecting a location in the purely pine- 
lands, select that which is thickly set with tall trees, well 
drained, and with a yellow subsoil. Such soils, if occa- 
sionally dressed with alkaline manures, grow the orange 
admirably." Low pine-lands, called " flat woods," should be 
avoided, and all lands which have a subsoil of " hard-pan " 
or quicksand. The trees grow more vigorously on the low, 
rich hammocks, but it is thought that they do not attain such 
great age as on the high lands, and the fruit is less adapted 
for transportation. Mr. Davis says, "Where high, hard- 
wood hammock-lands can be had, they should be preferred, 
other things being equal." N'o wet land — no soil not sus- 
ceptible of thorough drainage — will do for orange-culture. 

PmcES OF Land, Clearing, etc. — There is still much 
land to be had in Florida at the Government price (one 
dollar and twenty-five cents per acre), but these are rarely 
so situated in respect to transportation facilities that it is 
wise to put an orange-grove ujDon them. The price of land 
held for sale by private parties ranges from five to one 
hundred and twenty-five dollars per acre, the difference 
being due mainly to greater or less nearness to settlements 
or to lines of transportation. Choice " lake-fronts " are 



OBANGE-GULTURE. 215 

usually tlie most costly. The cost of clearing pine-land 
is from ten to thirty dollars per acre, according to the 
amount of undergrowth and the amount of " grubbing " 
required ; of clearing hammock-lands, from thirty to one 
hundred dollars per acre. The cost of plowing the land 
and preparing it for the trees is from three to five dollars 
per acre. It is very important to have the soil properly 
prepared. Orange-trees will not thrive on new, " sour " 
land, and it is desirable to have the soil thoroughly broken 
up and pulverized some time before the trees are planted. 
The best plan of all is first to raise a crop of cow-peas on 
the land, and, when these have been turned under, then set 
out the trees. 

Selectii^g the Trees. — In their serviceable little 
" Guide to Orange-Culture " the Manville Brothers say : 
"Young, transplanted trees from the nursery should be 
selected ; they have well-developed fibrous roots, are little 
retarded by moving, and easily adapt themselves to the 
various circumstances of soil, location, etc. The orange 
does not reproduce itself with certainty from the seed. 
Seedling trees are much longer in attaining maturity than 
budded trees, and have no advantages over the latter. 
Budded trees should therefore be selected in all cases. So- 
called ' sour stocks ' are more hardy and vigorous than the 
sweet ; they are especially adapted to low land, where the 
latter do not thrive. Sweet stocks are admissible on the 
high lands, and are preferred by some. A bud of one or 
two years' growth on a stock three or four years old, is the 
most profitable and convenient size and age." It used to 
be represented, probably by interested parties, that sweet 
seedlings grow larger and ultimately produce more abun- 
dantly than budded trees ; but experiment has disproved 
this, and it is now admitted that the budded trees not only 
bear several years earlier than the seedlings, but make 
quite as productive and vigorous trees. In choosing the 



246 FLORIDA. 

young trees in tlie nursery, choose those that have the 
largest trunks. 

Varieties of the Oeaistge. — These are very numer- 
ous — in fact, I have never met any one, even among those 
regarded as high authority, who could tell just how many 
kinds there are. Upward of sixty varieties are mentioned 
in some publications, yet the growers say there are many 
more, and every grower has one or two special varieties of 
his own. In Mr. Moore's treatise there is a comj)rehensive 
chapter on the different varieties, which the reader would 
do well to consult, as it is not possible here to do more 
than name a few of those which form the staple of an 
orange-grove. Of the common native sweet orange, always 
good and reliable, good varieties are the NonjDareil, the 
Homosassa, the Magnum Bonum, the Peerless, and the 
sweet Seville. The E^avel orange, so named because the 
bloom -end bears a striking resemblance to the human 
navel, is excellent and popular. Of the imported varieties, 
the Jaffa has the reputation of being a remarkably early 
bearer, and the Mediterranean Sweet ranks high. The 
Mandarin or Tangierine orange is of small size, but very 
dainty and clean in appearance, and of a peculiar fruity 
flavor. It is sometimes called the "kid-glove orange," 
because you can break the skin and peel it without using 
a knife or staining the fingers. The "sour " orange has 
the flavor of the lemon, and makes a good orangeade and 
a wine that resembles sherry. The " bitter-sweet " has a 
skin bitter as gall, but the pulp is sweet, and an excellent 
wine is made from it. The " myrtle " is a small variety 
which grows in clusters and has a very sour taste ; it is 
quite a favorite with housewives, for it makes delicious 
wine, orangeade, or preserves. 

Distances apart of the Trees. — Some growers 
recommend twenty feet as the proper distance, some 
twenty-five, and some thirty. The closer they are to- 



ORANGE- CULTURE. 247 

gether, of course the less is the expense of land and culti- 
vation, but on the other hand the trees are stunted ulti- 
mately if placed too close to each other. Twenty-five feet 
is probably a good medium. At twenty feet apart, there 
will be one hundred trees to the acre ; at twenty-five feet 
apart, seventy-two trees to the acre ; at thirty feet apart, 
fifty-six trees to the acre. 

Planting. — Under favorable circumstances trees may 
be transplanted with success during any month of the year, 
but the best time is when the sap is dormant, from Decem- 
ber to March. If planted in summer, watering, mulching, 
and shading will probably be necessary. In removing the 
trees from the nursery, as many roots as possible should be 
taken up, and great care should be exercised to avoid 
breaking or bruising them. Whenever they are thus in- 
jured, they should be trimmed with a sharp knife. The 
taj^-root should be left about twelve or eighteen inches 
long ; if too long it will double up on being reset. The 
holes for the trees should be freshly dug, and must not be 
too deep ; more trees are lost by too deep planting than 
from any other cause. As the trees always settle a little 
after being set out, they should be raised three or four 
inches above the surface, to allow for this. The upper or 
brace roots must not be covered up at the collar ; and 
under no circumstances should the tree be set deej)er than 
it stood in the nursery. The earth should be pressed care- 
fully and firmly about the roots with the hand, giving 
them as nearly as possible their original position. It is 
better to select a cool, wet time for planting, but, if the 
ground is dry, water should be plentifully supplied when 
the work is finished. Manville Brothers recommend that 
the newly-planted trees be mulched, whether the season 
be wet or dry ; Mr. Moore recommends it only in case 
the planting is done in hot summer weather. Before 
the tree is left, its upper part should be trimmed in pro- 



24:8 FLORIDA, 

poi'tion to the trimming wMcli the roots have been subject- 
ed to. 

CuLTiYATioisr. — Contrary to what used to be the preva- 
lent idea, the orange requires careful cultivation, and will 
not really flourish without it. During the growing season 
(spring and summer) the more frequently the soil is stirred 
the better ; during the winter the cultivation may be sus- 
pended, though some think it best to keep the ground free 
from grass and weeds the year round. Mr. Moore favors 
the latter policy, but in this matter something depends upon 
the character of the soil. For the first two or three years 
vegetables may be grown among the young trees, but they 
should never be planted nearer than four or five feet from 
the tree. Moreover, no crop should be raised without first 
applying an ample quantity of fertilizers to the soil, and 
the area plowed each year must be gradually narrowed. 
If the roots are injured, the trees suifer seriously ; hence, 
among older trees, where the roots have extended them- 
selves over a considerable part of the surface, the best 
implement for cultivating is the " sweep," which keeps 
down the grass and weeds without going deep enough to 
damage the roots. Particular care must be taken in cul- 
tivating not to allow the soil to pile up around the trunks 
of the trees. 

Fertilizing. — The orange-tree is a ravenous feeder, and 
requires a soil rich in plant-food ; and if the locality chosen 
for the grove does not contain this in the requisite quantity, 
the want will have to be supplied. According to Dr. G. W. 
Davis, the best fertilizer for the young growing orange-tree 
is well-rotted stable-manure. Manville Brothers recommend 
muck composted with animal manures, or with lime. Com- 
mercial fertilizers designed especially for the orange-tree 
are numerous, and some are doubtless valuable. Mr. Moore 
recommends the muck found in rivers, creeks, lakes, and 
ponds ; and remarks that green crops turned under are high- 



ORANGE-CULTURE. 249 

ly beneficial to young trees. " Rye, oats, and barley sown 
in the fall and turned under in the spring, and followed 
by one or two crops of cow-peas during the summer, 
help forward a grove of trees wonderfully. It is still 
better if this be accompanied by a dressing of wood- 
ashes ; one ton to the acre is not too much." Of course, 
in applying fertilizers the orange-grower must be guided 
by the special qualities of his soil, supplying those ele- 
ments which are lacking. When the leaves of a tree are 
yellowish in hue, there is probably a deficiency of nitro- 
genous manures, while leaves of a dark, vivid green indi- 
cate an abundance. In general, it may be said that young 
and growing trees require nitrogenous manures, while 
bearing trees require abundance of potash. Owing to the 
porosity of most of the Florida soils, it is better to give the 
grove a light annual dressing than to apply a large quan- 
tity at once. 

Peuj^iistg. — Judicious pruning is highly important in an 
orange-grove. The tree should be encouraged to form a 
low head, so as to protect the trunk and roots from sun and 
frost ; and the interior of the tree should be kept open by 
cutting out all except the most vigorous lateral branches. 
Dead wood should be cut away ; also all diseased or un- 
shapely branches. " Water-shoots " on the trunk should be 
cut or pulled off. The principal pruning should be done in 
the spring and with a sharp knife. It may be slackened 
when the trees come into bearing. 

Insects and Diseases. — As a rule, the orange-tree is 
not subject to many diseases, particularly if the trees are 
kept in a healthy, vigorous condition, with the ground well 
cultivated. The most formidable insect enemy is the scale- 
insect, but it seldom attacks any but feeble trees. For re- 
moving them, apply a strong solution of whale-oil soap ; 
and if this fails, Dr. Davis recommends the following : Dis- 
solve five pounds of any hard soap in a small quantity of 



250 FLORIDA. 

boiling water, put it into a forty-gallon cask, add ten 
pounds of carbonate of soda, broken into small lumps, fill 
the cask with soft water, and stir until it is thoroughly dis- 
solved ; scrub the trunk and branches with a brush dipped 
in this solution, and shower the tops and foliage with it by 
means of a rose-nibbed syringe. Against other insects the 
best protection is a good flock of fowls. The cause of 
" rust " is not yet fully made out, some claiming that it is 
due to an insect, others to a fungus. Slaked lime from 
burned oyster-shells sown broadcast over the grove and 
allowed to sift lightly through the branches and leaves of 
the trees, is a good corrective. The most serious disease is 
that known as the " die-back." If this is confined to a few 
branches, it may be due to the sting of an insect. If, on 
the other hand, it is general, it shows either that the trees 
have been planted too deeply (and the remedy is to dig 
away the soil or to reset the tree), or that the roots have 
struck a " hard-pan " subsoil (and for this there is no rem- 
edy but removal to another site). 

In conclusion, it must be said that orange-groves do not 
make themselves ; their value, indeed, consists in the very 
fact that it takes years of hard labor and a very consider- 
able expenditure of money in the mean while to raise them. 
As to the returns that may be expected, one is generally 
told that in three years from the setting, if budded trees 
are put out, the grove will be in bearing. While this is 
true in the sense that some oranges may then be found 
upon the trees, it is also true that no paying crop can be 
looked for in so brief a period. As a general thing, if the 
grove has been properly cared for, it ought to be self-sup- 
porting by the fifth year, after which its returns should 
gradually increase year by year, until at the end of ten or 
twelve years the crop, at a cent an orange on the tree (the 
price is now much higher), should yield ten dollars per tree. 
Estimates are usually made much higher than this ; and, 



ORANGE-CULTURE. 251 

indeed, there are trees in Florida the fruit from which will 
annually bring ujDward of a hundred dollars each ; but 
these are very rare exceptions, and I believe the estimate I 
have given to be a fair one. At least, if one expects no 
more than that, he may be reasonably sure of not being 
disappointed. 



CHAPTER XYL 

OTHER TROPICAL AISTD SEMI-TROPICAL FRUITS. 

The extent of the subject properly belonging to this 
chapter, and the variety of products that must be dealt 
with, are so great that it would be impossible for any one 
to treat it adequately from individual knowledge of all the 
facts. The knowledge and the experience of others must 
be relied upon in large measure, and fortunately the fruits 
of this knowledge and experience are readily obtainable. 
Within the past fifteen years much attention has been giv- 
en to the procurement of accurate data concerning the re- 
sources of the State ; the State Bureau of Immigration, and 
nearly all the counties, besides many special associations 
and societies — horticultural, agricultural, and stock — hav- 
ing expended large sums in the investigation. Persons of 
known competency and trustworthiness have generally 
made these investigations ; and the results have been given 
to the public in various pamphlets, circulars, reports, ad- 
dresses, and newspaper articles. I have collected many of 
these pamphlets, etc., especially those the authors of which 
are known to be able and intelligent persons, fully ac- 
quainted with the topic written of, not only from observa- 
tion but from practical experience, often of many years. 
In the following statements and suggestions I have supple- 
mented my own knowledge and observations with the in- 
formation thus acquired ; and as the chapter has been sub- 
mitted, since it was written, to the scrutiny of several com- 



OTHER TROPICAL FRUITS. 253 

petent persons, it is believed that, as far as it goes, it can 
be relied upon. 

After the orange, which is fully treated of in the previ- 
ous chapter, the most important of the semi-tro2:)ical fruits 
is — 

The Lemon. — The lemon is produced in the orange-belt 
of Florida to a degree of perfection far surpassing any- 
thing of the kind in any other part of the world. 

The tree grows more rapidly, produces fruit sooner, 
bears a larger crop, and has larger and better-flavored lem- 
ons, than are found anywhere else. I have seen and picked 
lemons of one and a half to two pounds' weight, and at the 
State Fair saw lemons weighing two and a half pounds ! 
In many respects the lemon-tree resembles the orange, and 
its cultivation is the same, except that it does not require 
such rich soil ; it does best on a light, sandy soil. It is a 
tenderer plant, however, requiring care to protect it from 
the cold, which it can not bear as well as the orange. Be- 
low the frost-line, of course, there is no danger, and it may 
be left to itself. It is a rapid and rampant grower, not 
so smooth and graceful as an orange-tree, but spreading 
out its branches wildly in all directions up and down. It 
commences bearing fruit about two or three years sooner 
than the orange-tree, and bears much larger crops. An 
orange-tree may be expected to bear in its sixth year two 
hundred oranges and one thousand in its tenth year ; the 
lemon-tree will bear in its third year two hundred lemons 
and five thousand in its tenth year, on the average. The 
first two or three crops are usually a coarse, spongy fruit, 
but the succeeding crops improve each year in delicacy and 
excellence. 

The fruit bears handling and transportation remarkably 
well, and it is generally thought by competent observers 
that it will prove quite as profitable a crop as the orange, 
with the advantage of producing returns two to three years 



254 FLORIDA. 

sooner. It is destined to become a very important prod- 
uct. 

The Lime. — This is a very dainty and delicious fruit, 
smaller in size but otherwise closely resembling the lemon. 
The juice is more agreeably acid and makes a very pleas- 
ant drink ; a glass of limeonade is sure to be remembered 
with pleasure. It grows very rapidly, like a small lemon- 
tree, bears in its third year, and produces large crops. The 
culture is precisely the same. 

The CiTKOisr. — This is the chief of the citric family of 
fruits. It is in all respects like the orange, in appearance 
of the tree as well as in the care required. The fruit close- 
ly resembles the orange, except that it is larger and more 
yellow in color. Plucked from the tree, it is not a pleasant 
fruit to eat. Heretofore but little attention has been paid 
to the cultivation of this fruit in Florida, except for variety 
and ornament, and it is not usual to observe more than one 
or two trees in a large garden of several acres in extent, 
though it is grown here with the greatest ease and perfec- 
tion, frequently producing fruit weighing ten pounds, and 
there is no doubt but that it may be cultivated, preserved, 
and introduced into our home-markets as an article of com- 
merce, with great profit to the producer. There is no other 
variety of this species so easily j^ropagated, and none more 
hardy, or that yields its fruit so quickly, or produces more 
abundantly ; and the circumstance that both the fruit and 
the sugar for preserving it are produced in the same field, 
with equal facility, gives to the American cultivator a great 
advantage over the foreign producer in our market. The 
citron pre23ared and preserved by private families in Florida 
for home use is of much finer quality, lighter colored, and 
more transparent, than the imported. 

Beegamot. — This is a hybrid of the orange and the 
lemon, is small, yellow in color, has a thick skin, is juicy, 
with a sour-sweet, flavorless taste. It is cultivated chiefly 



OTHER TROPICAL FRUITS. 



255 



for the oil which is distilled from the rind, and known to 
chemists and in the trade as " oil of bergamot." 

The Fig. — This delicious fruit grows with remarkable 
vigor and thrift in all portions of the State. It is quite 
hardy, bears in the third year, produces large crops, and 
is a profitable fruit, requiring little care or expense. It 




The Fig. 



very closely resembles the quince-tree of the Korth, in ap- 
pearance. A simple preparation of figs by boiling in sirup 
furnishes a most palatable and wholesome preserve that 
only needs to be known to become a universal favorite. 
If figs can be prepared for a lucrative market by drying 
anywhere on earth, it can be done in Florida ; and though 
it has been done but little as yet, it is certain to be one of 
the industries of the future. 

The Olive. — With the exception of a few trees grown 
for ornament, this most valuable tree has not been culti- 
vated in Florida. That it will succeed and produce large 
crops is undoubted, judging from the few specimens nov/ 



256 



FLORIDA. 



growing ; and attention having been directed to it recently, 
it will probably be extensively planted. It begins to bear 
about ten years from the seed, bears annually, and increases 
in the amount of product to the age of thirty years. It is 
very long-lived, some trees in Southern Europe being known 
to be eight hundred years old and showing no signs of de- 
cay. The fruit and the oil made from it are valuable as 
food, and in demand for commercial purposes. 

The PiisrEAPPLE. — This delicious plant produces re- 
markably fine large fruit in all portions of South Florida. 
It is the king of tropical fruits. It is planted from the 




A PiNEAPPLE-Pr-ANT, 



suckers or shoots taken from the matured fruit and stock. 
These can be purchased at from one and a half to two and 
a half cents each ; and about twelve thousand can be 
planted on one acre, placed twenty to twenty-four inches 
apart. They bear fruit in the twentieth month, and con- 
tinue bearing all the year. 

The owner of a pineapple patch can have fruit every 
day of the year. They require little or no care, nor very 
rich soil, nor fertilizing ; but they can not bear cold, and 
care must be taken to protect them from frosts. An acre 
is certain to produce six to ten thousand pineapples, which 
sell readily at prices which make them a very profitable crop. 



OTHER TROPICAL FRUITS. 257 

The Banana. — This fruit is planted like a field of gi- 
gantic corn, wMch it much resembles in the care required and 
young growth, but it attains vast size with immense leaves. 
Each stalk produces one buncb in from fifteen to eighteen 
months, which sells for one and a half to two and a half 
dollars. After the fruit ripens, tbe large leaves fall off, 
the top dies down, and new suckers start out from the 
roots. One of these suckers is sufficient to perpetuate the 
old stock, and the rest may be replanted in new places, to 
any extent desired. No fruit is more healthy and nutri- 
tious than ripe bananas, and few are more esteemed. In 
South American countries they are also cooked while green, 
and are said to be very palatable. 

The Cocoanut. — This tropical product grows vigor- 
ously in the keys and mainland of the extreme south- 
ern portion of the State. It much resembles a palm 
or j^almetto tree in generally appearance. It requires 
no care after setting out, and produces fruit after the 
sixth year. It does well in Florida, producing extra- 
sized fruit of excellent quality. A tree will bear from 
one hundred to five hundred nuts annually, in monthly 
bunches. 

The Date, etc., etc. — The date, tamarind, sapodilla, 
papaw, sugar-apple, custard-apple, and all similar tropical 
fruits, grow abundantly in all portions of tropical Flor- 
ida, with little or no labor, and produce large crops of the 
best quality of fruits of their kind. 

Date-Palm. — This excellent and valuable fruit is culti- 
vated with entire success south of 28° north latitude, and 
the tree often perfects its fruit as far north as 30° north 
latitude. Numerous large and beautiful specimens of this 
tree may be seen in the gardens at St. Augustine. It is one 
of the most beautiful trees of the vegetable kingdom. Its 
long, graceful, ever-verdant, ever- waving, ever- changing 
branches make it the most picturesque of all plants for 



258 



FLORIDA, 



landscape-gardening, and should adorn the grounds of every 
homestead in Florida. 

The fruit is greatly and justly esteemed by the inhabi- 
tants of Egypt, Arabia, and Persia, on account of its con- 
centrated and nutritious properties : large numbers subsist 
almost entirely upon it. It is generally the sole food of 




The Date-Palm. 



the Arabs and their camels on their long and tedious jour- 
neys over the desert, the men feeding upon the fruit and 



OTHER TROPICAL FRUITS. 259 

the animals upon the stones. The inhabitants of these 
countries also boast of the medicinal qualities of the date- 
fruit, and of the numerous uses to which the different pro- 
ductions of this tree maybe applied. From the leaves they 
make couches, baskets, bags, mats, and brushes ; from the 
branches or stalks, cages for their poultry and fences for 
their gardens ; from the fibers of the trunk, thread, ropes, 
and rigging ; from the sap, a spirituous liquor ; and the 
body of the trees furnishes fuel. 

The date-palm is propagated from the seeds and suckers, 
but more successfully from the former. The cultivation of 
this fruit should be greatly extended, as it may become an 
important and profitable resource of the inhabitants of 
Southern Florida. The bunches or clusters of this fruit 
often attain a weight of fifteen pounds. 

The Shaddock (sometimes called mock-orange, or for- 
bidden fruit). — This was brought from China to the West 
Indies by Captain Shaddock, from whom it derives its pres- 
ent name. There are at least six varieties, only one of which 
is useful or desirable as a fruit. Some of these attain a very 
large size, frequently weighing ten to fourteen pounds. It 
is chiefly used for ornament or show, and where several 
sorts of oranges are presented at dessert it forms a striking 
addition to the varieties in the way of contrast. The most 
desirable variety of this fruit is sometimes called grape- 
fruit. It possesses a reddish pulp, with most agreeable sub- 
acid sweetness, and is excellent for quenching thirst ; and 
from the thickness of its rind will keep longer than the 
fruit of any other of the citrus family. This variety is well 
worth cultivating for the excellence of its solid, vinous 
pulp, which furnishes a substitute for other acid fruits in 
pies, tarts, jellies, etc. 

LoQUAT. — This fruit is known in the South as the Japan 
plum. The tree is an evergreen, and grows ten to twelve 
feet high, and is desirable in every Southern garden on 



260 FLORIDA. 

account of its hardiness, withstanding a greater degree of 
cold than any of the semi-tropical fruits. It ripens its 
fruit in February and March, when most other fruits are 
gone ; is a profuse bearer, and is readily propagated by 
seeds and cuttings. 

Peaches, ]N"ECTAEi]srES, Pears, Plums, etc. — When 
peaches begin to bloom in Delaware and New Jersey, they 
are one half grown in Florida, and no better peach country 
can or need be found than along the line of the Florida 
Railroad. At one year's growth from the pit, peaches often 
attain, even in West Florida, the height of ten feet. Care, 
selection, and attention can place in the Northern market 
the choicest peaches from Waldo and Starke, several weeks 
before they can be raised North. There is no country 
where the marketing of peaches, whether fresh or dried, 
can be made more lucrative, or where they can be more 
profitably canned. This tree is long-lived, healthy, and vig- 
orous throughout Florida, and is never subject to injuries 
from the peach- worm or the diseases which so universally 
afilict the fruit in the Northern States. The most delicious 
peaches may be raised almost without care by every family, 
and in abundance sufiicient even for the economical feeding 
of swine. The early varieties of this fruit ripen in the be- 
ginning of June, and the latest sorts continue until late in 
August. The earliest and the latest varieties should be 
chosen for cultivation in Florida, as the rainy season com- 
mences in July and continues throughout that month, caus- 
ing much of the maturing fruit to crack. 

The nectarine, the apricot, and the almond, are all at 
home in Florida, and not less vigorous, healthy, or produc- 
tive than the peach ; and all who will take the trouble to 
plant and care for the trees may be assured of an abundant 
reward. 

The plum and the prune are also healthy and productive, 
being entirely exempt from the ravages of the curculio so 



OTHER TROPICAL FRUITS. 261 

prevalent at the North. All the varieties of the wild plum 
are indigenous and abundant in nearly every part of the 
State. Many of the varieties are of excellent quality, and, 
when cooked, form a delicious preserve for family use or for 
canning. 

Pears and quinces are worthy of more attention than 
they have heretofore received. It is believed that some 
varieties of the former will do well, but as yet their culti- 
vation has not been sufficiently tested to fix their status 
among the fruits of Florida. Experiments that have been 
made seem to show that the Lecomte pears can be made 
a highly profitable crop. They are nearly as attractive in 
appearance as the Bartlett, are but little inferior in flavor, 
and can be put into the New York market at a time when 
no other pear can be found. 

The Peesimmon^. — The persimmon is found wild in 
every section of the State. The fruit, at least to the na- 
tives, is agreeable to the taste, and, ripe or dry, is used 
largely for the table and for home-made beer. Some Japan 
varieties are now being introduced, which are said to be of 
very large size, and seedless. The Japanese esteem the 
persimmon as their most valuable fruit. 

The Pomegranate. — Pomegranates are of two kinds, 
the sweet and sour. The bush is large, graceful in foliage, 
and beautiful in pendent crimson flowers and fruit. As an 
ornamental tree it is one of the best. The fleshy covering 
of the seed is a beautiful pink, and has a pleasant, subacid 
taste, in flavor not unlike the red currant. The rind is bit- 
ter, and often used medicinally ; also for domestic coloring 
and ink. 

The Pecan. — This tree is valuable as a forest-tree for 
its lumber, and profitable for its fruit. It is now being ex- 
tensively planted, requiring only the ordinary care of in- 
digenous trees. The cost is trifling. It bears in about ten 
years from the seed, growing straight, tall, and graceful. 



262 FLORIDA. 

It need not occupy land used for cultivation. Some culti- 
vators liave set the pecan out so as to make a permanent 
boundary line of their land. 

Grapes and Cherries. — Most of the American and 
foreign varieties are easily grown, ripening from June to 
ISTovember. The St. Augustine grape, so called, is a choice 
grape for eating or wine. The Scuppernong in all its varie- 
ties is cultivated largely, being a rapid grower, an abun- 
dant bearer, long-lived, and needing but little pruning or 
care. It is found most profitable as a table-grape or for 
wine. Much attention is being given to the growing of 
grapes and the making of wine. 

The black cherry is found wild, but the tame or culti- 
vated cherry does not seem to succeed, though we see no 
reason why it should not, where fruits of similar habit 
grow well. 

Blackberries and Huckleberries. — The low, creep- 
ing blackberry, or dewberry, abounds in old fields and road- 
sides, and ripens in April. The high -bush, also found in 
the same localities, ripens in June and July ; the huckle- 
berry about the same time. All bear well, and can be 
had for the picking. The improved kinds do well where 
tried. 

Strawberries. — This queen of small fruits nowhere in 
the world finds a better location for culture ; plants put 
out in September fruit often in January, frequently in Feb- 
ruary, and may be counted in full bearing and ripening in 
March and April. The growers about Jacksonville and up 
the St. John's River are many, and shipments have been 
made largely and profitably. In size, color, bouquet, and 
taste they are superior to most, equal to the best, and 
surpassed by none ; the best varieties only are grown. 
The cultivators pick carefully, select and pack honestly ; 
and Florida strawberries, like Florida oranges, have 
earned a name. By using refrigerators the fruit reaches 



OTHER TROPICAL FRUITS. 263 

N"ew York and other Northern cities, fresh and cool, only 
about four days from picking. Being always in advance 
of any other locality by some weeks, the first shipments 
bring large prices, and the demand keeps pace with the 
supply. 



12 



CHAPTER XYII. 

FIELD AND FARM PEODUCTS. 

All tlie crops of all portions of America can be grown 
in Florida, Some produce better here tban anywbere else, 
otbers no better, a few not so well, but tbey will all grow 
and produce fair yields. And in all cases they require less 
care or labor than elsewhere ; there is not an exception to 
this assertion known of in the long list of productions. 
Besides, in many cases the same soil can be rej)lanted with 
the same or some other product within the same year. 

Of the various field-crops cotton has by custom ranked 
as the staple product in this State ; however, it is one of the 
least productive, although it pays as well here as in any 
other State or country where it can be grown. Sugar is 
the " king " field-product of Florida, and it can hardly be 
doubted that ere many years have elapsed a considerable 
portion of the sugar and molasses that are now imported at 
the cost of millions of dollars from Cuba and elsewhere will 
be drawn from the soil of the Peninsular State. 

Sugae-Cane. — In both climate and soil, Florida is pe- 
culiarly well adapted for the growth of sugar-cane, the 
long period of warm weather and the absence of cold af- 
fording a longer period for the cane to mature. In Louisi- 
ana, owing to the frosts, the cane never tassels, and has to 
be ground as soon as mature ; in South Florida it always 
tassels, and can be worked at leisure through a period cov- 
ering several months. What is known in Louisiana as 
"fair land" will produce from fifteen hundred to two thou- 



FIELD AND FARM PRODUCTS. 265 

sand pounds of sugar to the acre ; rich land, thoroughly 
fertilized, will produce from two to four thousand pounds. 
The black hammock or "sugar-lands" of Florida will pro- 
duce at least equally large crops, and it is believed by many 
planters that, with fertilizing, the pine-lands will produce 
as well, and of a better quality. The soils of Central and 
South I'lorida are, in general, peculiarly adapted for the cane. 
Here the cane matures and perfects its seed, and often at- 
tains a height of from ten to fifteen feet, even when grown 
for a number of years on the same land without manure. 

Sugar-cane grows in joints of from three to six or nine 
inches in length, like the reeds used for fishing-poles, with 
a sort of partition between each two joints of a hard, vege- 
table substance. At or near each of these partitions, on 
one side of the cane, is an eye, which is always exactly op- 
posite to the eye attached to the next joint above or below ; 
so that the eyes on a perfect cane together form two rows of 
eyes on opposite sides of the cane. From each of those 
eyes, when covered with earth to the proper depth, proceed 
the sprouts and roots which constitute in time the complete 
cane. Cane does not of necessity require replanting every 
year, the stalks being cut in the fall. From the same roots, 
in the next year, unless the root is injured by cold, drought, 
or excess of moisture, there springs a second growth of 
sprouts similar to the first. This subsequent repeated 
growth from the same root is called ratooning, and may 
be repeated from year to year for several years. The 
value of these succeeding or ratooning crops is variously 
estimated, some asserting that it continually deteriorates 
after the second year, and others maintaining that with 
care it may be ratooned indefinitely. The common oj^in- 
ion is that replanting is necessary once in three or four 
years. But Judge Dupont, of Quincy, in Gadsden County, 
one of the northern counties in this State, told me that 
he had raised cane from the ratoon six successive years 



266 



FLORIDA. 



without either diminution or deterioration. I am informed 
that on the lands of Indian River has been raised the nine- 
teenth crop of cane from the same planting, and on the shore 
of Lake Worth cane is now growing which has not been re- 
planted since the early Indian wars. * The probability is, that 
the character of the ratoons and the extent of their repeti- 
tion depend upon the quality of the original seed, the culti- 
vation, and the fertilization it has received. 




SUGAH-MILL. 



While cane is one of the hardiest and most certain of all 
known crops, and will thrive under neglect that would be 
fatal to almost anything else, yet it as certainly responds to 



FIELD AND FARM PE0DUGT8, 267 

deep and frequent cultivation and generous fertilizing as 
any crop that can be specified, and its varying yield of 
from five hundred to five thousand pounds to the acre bears 
unmistakable testimony to the degree of care bestowed 
upon it. Good cultivation, indeed, will accomplish won- 
ders with the cane ; and though only the rudest processes 
of manufacture are as yet employed in Florida — the home- 
made wooden cylinders are the usual type of mill — the re- 
sults obtained are sometimes fabulous. It is known that 
one small planter near Picolata, during the past year, with 
no help except that of his own little boy, made from two 
acres of land forty barrels of sugar and five hundred gal- 
lons of sirup ; and I have already told of the planter on 
Indian River who, with the assistance of one negro man, 
netted sixteen hundred dollars for five acres. When the at- 
tention of capitalists shall have been drawn to the oppor- 
tunity, and improved processes of manufacture introduced, 
there can hardly be a doubt that the production of sugar will 
be the leading industry of the State. 

Cotton. — Generally sjoeaking, cotton is a safer crop in 
Florida than anywhere else ; but it is subject to some risks 
from drought, rain, cold, and caterpillars, and other crops 
which require less attention and are less dependent upon 
negro labor are superseding it. Sea-island or long cotton is 
raised mostly from the Suwanee River to the ocean, and 
south of latitude 30°. The average product per acre is from 
one hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds, though it 
often exceeds double that. This species of cotton is only 
raised on the sea-islands bordering South Carolina, Georgia, 
and in Florida, the latter State raising over half the total 
crop. Short cotton is grown west of the Suwanee to the 
western and northern boundaries of the State ; it will av- 
erage from two to five hundred pounds to the acre. In 
grade, Florida cotton rates with the best. 

CoEisr. — This great food-staple is grown in all portions 



268 FLORIDA. 

of Florida, and the produce here as elsewhere varies accord- 
ing to fertility of soil and cultivation. Ordinary pine-land 
will produce, say, ten bushels ; good hammock-land, tAventy 
to twenty-five bushels. Governor Drew, in 1878, on com- 
mon pine-land, which had been cultivated only six years, 
raised one hundred and thirty bushels to the acre. Of 
course, the land was thoroughly prepared, well manured, 
and well cultivated. Corn here is planted from February 
to April, plowed at intervals, laid by in June and July ; 
blades stripped for fodder, and stalks with ears left in field 
to be harvested at leisure. It may be cribbed in field in 
the shuck, suffering no damage from weather, or housed in 
corn-crib near the dwelling ; shucked and shelled if for 
sale or food. When fed to stock, it is fed in shuck. One 
person with one mule can easily cultivate from thirty to 
forty acres, and, as the time from j^lanting to final plowing 
is only from four to five months, it leaves ample time to 
cultivate another crop of peas or sweet-potatoes, with same 
labor on same land. The corn usually raised is the white 
variety, largely used in meal and hominy for food, especial- 
ly at the South. The Northern farmer, who has been used to 
see forty to sixty bushels ordinarily raised on the old home- 
stead, should, in comparing the relative production South 
and ISTorth, take into consideration cheapness of land, num- 
ber of acres which can be cultivated, time taken to produce 
crop, expense of gathering, saving, housing, and also value, 
transportation, and its quality. White is best for food. 
All things considered, corn is one of the most useful and 
profitable crops to raise in Florida. 

Wheat, Rye, and Oats. — In the northern and north- 
western section of the State wheat is grown to some extent, 
but it is not generally raised as a regular crop. Sown early 
in the fall, rye and oats do well, affording a good winter 
pasturage. They mature in the early spring, and are not 
thrashed, being cured and fed to stock in the straw. 



FIELD AED FARM PRODUCTS. 269 

Rice. — There are thousands of acres in every section of 
the State that are peculiarly adapted to the production of 
rice, but it has not been cultivated .as yet to any extent, 
except for domestic use. The cultivation is as simple as 
that of any cereal, and twenty-five to seventy-five bushels 
of rough rice to the acre is a fair yield. The idea that rice 
can only be successfully grown on low lands that can be 
overflowed, at certain seasons has proved to be mistaken. 
What is known as "upland" rice can be grown on any 
fairly good and well-irrigated soil ; and the success with 
which this has been cultivated in Florida seems to indicate 
that in future, when rice-cleaning machinery has been in- 
troduced, this will be one of the great staples of the State. 
Maturing earlier than in other States, new Florida rice has 
a proportionate advantage. 

Sweet-Potatoes. — This article of food is as indispen- 
sable in all Southern households as rice is to the Chinese, 
macaroni to the Italian, or the Irish potato to the Irish- 
man. White or black, no family is so poor but it has a 
potato-patch. It yields all the way from one to four hun- 
dred bushels to the acre, according to soil, cultivation, and 
season ; is grown from root, drawer, and slips ; is planted 
from June to August, and matures from July to x^ovember. 
It is of easy cultivation, and may be dug and safely banked 
in field and yard, or housed. 

Irish Potatoes. — The common Irish potato grows 
fairly well in all parts of Florida, but does best in the 
northern and middle sections. The yield is not so large as 
in the Korth, but will average from one to two hundred 
bushels per acre, and in choice locations along the St. John's 
and in North Florida the product is sometimes upward of 
four hundred bushels per acre. 

Tobacco. — Tobacco will grow anywhere in Florida. A 
superior quality of Cuba tobacco, from imported seed, is 
mostly grown in Gadsden and adjoining counties, and fully 



270 FLORIDA. 

equals the best imported. Before the war it was extensive- 
ly and profitably cultivated, and mostly sold to Germany, 
agents visiting the State to purchase. It requires careful 
attention, will yield from five to seven hundred pounds to 
the acre, and sells for from twenty to thirty cents a pound. 
Latterly there is an increasing home and State demand by 
cigar-manufacturers, and the area of cultivation is extend- 
ing. 

Peanuts. — The peanuts grown in Florida rank with the 
best in quantity of production and also in quality. They 
are largely used on the farm as food for swine, and are 
remarkably fattening. Almost any soil is suitable for the 
crop, the cultivation is simple and inexpensive, and the 
yield is liberal. 

Melons. — " The Northern man," says the writer of the 
" Bureau of Immigration " pamphlet, " who has only seen 
the prize melon, pumpkin, squash, and other fruits of simi- 
lar kind, is astounded at the size of Florida growth. It is 
no rare thing to see watermelons as large as a nail-keg, 
weighing seventy pounds, muskmelons twenty to thirty 
pounds, and pumpkins and squashes will often weigh one 
hundred pounds. A watermelon which does not weigh, at 
the least, twenty-five pounds, is considered hardly salable ; 
thirty to thirty-five pounds is about the average of the wa- 
termelon brought to market. Those raised are of the best- 
known varieties, and here the flavor seems more pleasant, 
and the flesh more crisp and solid, than elsewhere. The 
raising of them is not a matter of much care ; they are 
mostly found in the corn-patch, where they grow unseen 
and uncared for. Except where raised for shipment North, 
in recent years, they are grown by truckmen, who ship by 
the car-load North and West, the season for sending gen- 
erally commencing the last of May and continuing until 
August. Muskmelons also are of large size, and delicious 
cantaloupes are raised easily ; indeed, vines of all kinds 



FIELD AND FARM PRODUCTS. 271 

succeed well, the long, warm season favoring rapid 
growth." 

Jute and Ramie. — All the fibrous plants grown in 
warm latitudes do well in Florida, and most of them are 
indigenous. At one time Sisal hemp was extensively grown, 
but the Indian war laid waste the country where it was 
planted, and the cultivation has not been resumed. Recent- 
ly, the culture of jute and ramie has begun to attract at- 
tention ; and, now that machinery for preparing the fiber 
has been invented, there can be no doubt that both crops 
are of the highest commercial importance. It is estimated 
that to move our crops of cotton, wheat, and grain requires 
an expenditure of about twenty-five million dollars annually 
for bags and bagging ; and ramie and jute yield fibers equal 
to the best brought from the East Indies. For the cultiva- 
tion of them Florida seems especially well adapted, and 
both grow like weeds. The seed of jute should be sown in 
March or April, and it may be cut in June, July, or Au- 
gust ; it is estimated that the yield is thirty-five hundred 
pounds per acre, and the crop is sure and cultivation easy. 
The prepared fiber is used to make bagging, gunny, coarse 
cloth, mattings, cheap carpets, and burlaps. The ends of 
the stems are used for making paper, as are the old sacks 
and bags. The stems may be used for garden fences and 
coarse baskets, and they make good charcoal for gunpow- 
der. 

Ramie is a permanent crop ; once planted, it reproduces 
itself indefinitely. It is first produced, not from seeds, but 
from small shoots or roots, and about three thousand roots 
(costing twenty to twenty-five dollars per thousand) are 
required to plant an acre. The crops may be gathered at 
any season, and four crops may be obtained from the same 
land each year, averaging five hundred pounds to the acre 
for each crop. The crude product is worth twenty to 
twenty-five cents per pound ; prepared properly by machin- 



272 FLORIDA. 

ery, it is nearly as valuable as raw silk. These are the 
crojis for North Florida. 

Cassava, Aerow-Root, etc. — The cassava, from which 
starch and tapioca are made, does astonishingly well in 
Florida, and attains great size. The Hon. John G. Sin- 
clair, of New Hampshire, has erected a cassava starch-mill 
at Interlaken, in Orange County, and by experiment on his 
own place he has shown that from four to six hundred 
bushels to the acre can be raised on high pine-land with 
little fertilizing. The starch yielded by it is excellent in 
quality, and finds a ready sale to ISTorthern manufacturers. 
Here, probably, is the germ of a great industry ; for the 
cassava can be grown right in the orange-grove without 
damaging the trees. Florida arrow-root grades in quality 
and price with the best Bermuda, and is easily cultivated. 
Comptie, the bread-root of the Indians, grows without any 
cultivation. 

Timber a:n'd Lumber. — Of all the States Florida has 
the largest area of original growth of timber. Excluding 
land in cultivation, the area covered by lakes, rivers, savan- 
nas, etc., there are probably nearly, if not quite, thirty mill- 
ion acres of land covered with timber, and of this the yellow 
pine is fully three quarters. The level and rolling lands 
are mostly covered with the yellow and pitch pine, which 
attains a great size in girth and length. The lower lands 
near rivers, lakes, and swamps abound in valuable timber, 
of which live-oak, other species of oak, hickory, ash, birch, 
cedar, magnolia, sweet-bay, gum, and cypress constitute a 
great proportion. The red cedar is particularly adapted for 
lead-pencils, and is largely exported to Europe for the best 
manufactures, as also North and East. The magnolia and 
bay are fine woods for ornamental furniture ; the cypress is 
valuable for shingles, sash, doors, blinds, and inside finish, 
railroad-ties, etc. The yellow and pitch pines have a world- 
wide reputation as being the best for any and all uses where 



FIELD AND FARM PRODUCTS. 



273 




274 FLORIDA. 

strength, elasticity, and durability are desired, and are now 
being largely used in ornamental and expensive structures. 
Finisbed up in its natural grain for inside work, floors, 
frames, j^illars, arches, and roofs, it presents that substan- 
tial as well as rich finish not attained with other material. 
While there are many mills on the Atlantic and Gulf sides, 
and a few on the railroad, which manufacture pine lumber, 
as yet the consumption is small, and future supply is as- 
sured for years. Recently some cedar mills have been built 
which prej^are the wood of size for pencils. Most of the 
cedar, however, is shipped in the log, roughly hewed. Some 
oak and hickory is shipped in rough-hewed sticks, but as 
yet not much use is made of the hard woods. Lumber of 
fair quality sells for from five to fifteen dollars per thou- 
sand feet at the mill. 

YEGETABLE-GARDEismsTG, — In Other portions of the book 
I have already cited a number of instances of the extraor- 
dinary success attained in vegetable-gardening, and will 
therefore content myself here with a few general state- 
ments. In Middle and South Florida fresh vegetables may 
be had during each and every month of the year, and there 
is no portion of the United States where the ordinary gar- 
den-vegetables produce so abundantly or attain such mar- 
velous size. Recently, the raising of early vegetables for 
the Northern markets has attained the dimensions of a lead- 
ing industry — rivaling in magnitude and profitableness the 
production of tropical fruits. Tomatoes, cucumbers, green 
peas, egg-plants, strawberries, and the like, can readily be 
placed upon Northern tables at a season when such vegeta- 
bles have hardly begun to be planted in the New England 
and Middle States ; and the price obtained for them at 
such times affords an almost incredible profit. Indeed, 
comparing results for a series of years, it is probable that 
the vegetable-gardener will be able to show returns sur- 
passing those of even the most successful orange-growers ; 



FIELD AND FARM PRODUCTS. 275 

and of course the results are secured very much sooner, and 
with less original outlay. 

At present the most successful vegetable-gardening is 
done along the line of the Transit Railroad and on the 
lower St. John's, near Jacksonville ; but all portions of the 
State are well adapted for it, and South Florida has a lit- 
tle the advantage in the matter of earliness of season and 
freedom from frost. Wherever transportation facilities are 
secured, there " gardening for profit " can be undertaken 
with confidence ; and as most vegetables can be raised in a 
young orange-grove without injury to the trees — with ben- 
efit, if properly attended to — the development of the indus- 
try will probably be enormous in the future when the North 
has come to rely upon Florida for its early vegetables, and 
when railway and steamer lines have prepared themselves 
for the expeditious performance of the business. 

When^ and what to plant. — The following valuable 
suggestions on this head are copied verhatim from the 
ofiicial pamphlet prepared for and published by the State 
Bureau of Immigration : 

"No precise instructions would be strictly applicable 
for all parts of Florida ; we give briefly what may gener- 
ally be safely adopted for Florida say at and north of lati- 
tude 29° ; south of 29° a year's experience and information 
will safely guide. One thing is favorable : the period of 
planting any special crops covers weeks and months, so that 
failure from exceptional circumstances need not occur. 

" In Jcmicary plant Irish potatoes, peas, beets, turnips, 
cabbages, and all hardy or semi-hardy vegetables ; make 
hot-beds for pushing the more tender plants, such as mel- 
ons, tomatoes, okra, egg-plants, etc.; set out fruit and other 
trees, and shrubbery. 

^'' February. — Keep planting for a succession, same as in 
January ; in addition, plant vines of all kinds, shrubbery, 
and fruit-trees of all kinds, especially of the citrus family, 
snap-beans, corn ; bed sweet-potatoes for draws and slips. 
Oats may also be still sown, as they are in previous months. 



276 FLO BID A. 

" March. — Corn, oats, and planting of February may be 
continued ; transplant tomatoes, egg-plants, melons, beans, 
and vines of all kinds ; mulberries and blackberries are nov/ 
ripening. 

" April. — Plant as in March, except Irish potatoes, kohl- 
rabi, turnips ; continue to transplant potatoes, okra, egg- 
plants ; sow millet, corn, cow-peas, for fodder ; plant the 
butter-bean, lady-peas ; dig Irish potatoes. Onions, beets, 
and usual early vegetables should be plenty for table. 

" May. — Plant sweet-potatoes for draws in beds ; con- 
tinue planting corn for table ; snap-beans, j^eas, and cucum- 
bers ought to be well forward for use ; continue planting 
okra, egg-plants, pepper, and butter-beans. 

'•'• June. — The heavy planting of sweet-potatoes and cow- 
peas is now in order ; Irish potatoes, tomatoes, and a great 
variety of table vegetables are now ready, as also plums, 
early peaches, and grapes. 

" July. — Sweet-potatoes and cow-peas are safe to plant, 
the rainy season being favorable ; grapes, peaches, and figs 
are^in full season. Orange-trees may be set out if the sea- 
son is wet. 

^^ August. — Finish up planting sweet-potatoes and cow- 
peas ; sow cabbage, cauliflower, turnips for fall planting ; 
plant kohl-rabi and ruta-bagas ; transplant orange-trees and 
bud ; last of month plant a few Irish potatoes and beans. 

" September. — ISTow is the time to commence for the 
true winter garden, the garden which is commenced in the 
North in April and May. Plant the whole range of vege- 
tables except sweet-potatoes ; set out asparagus, onion-sets, 
and strawberry-plants. 

" October. — Plant same as last month ; put in garden 
peas ; set out cabbage-plants ; dig sweet-potatoes ; sow 
oats, rye, etc. 

^''November. — A good month for garden ; continue to 
plant and transplant, same as for October ; sow oats, bar- 
ley, and rye for winter pasturage or crops ; dig sweet-pota- 
toes ; house or bank them ; make sugar and sirup. 

''' December. — Clear up generally ; fence, ditch, manure, 
and sow and plant hardy vegetables ; plant, set out orange- 
trees, fruit-trees, and shrubbery ; keep a sharp lookout 
for an occasional frost ; a slight protection will prevent 
injury. 



FIELD AND FABM PRODUCTS. 277 

"It will be seen from the above that there is no month 
in the year but what fresh and growing vegetables can be 
had for sale and domestic use. This latter is a large item 
in expense of living. The soil is so easily worked, so easily 
cultivated, that most of garden-work can be performed by 
even delicate ladies, and young children of both sexes. 
Indeed, most Florida gardens are so made — no frozen clods 
to break or rocks to remove. A garden once put in con- 
dition, properly managed, will produce abundantly and 
constantly. The rapid growth assures large and tender 
vegetables, early and luscious fruit. A single season will 
afford strawberries from the setting out, ri]3e figs from two- 
year-old cuttings, grapes the second year, peaches the sec- 
ond and third years, oranges from the bud in three to five 
years. At a little cost, a little care, one can literally sit 
under his own vine and fig-tree, and enjoy fresh-plucked 
fruit the whole year." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

LIVE-STOCK. 

The first sight of a pure in-and-in-bred Florida bog or 
cow is not calculated to impart to tbe visitor from nortb- 
ern climes, especially if be be from tbe stock-regions, a very 
favorable impression of Florida as a stock-raising State. 
Tbe bog, tbe genuine " cracker " bazel-splitter, is a lean, 
lank, < wiry, quick-motioned beast — a deer in bog sbape. It 
is a slander on tbe portentously fat porkers of Illinois to 
call tbe Florida specimen a bog at all. From tbe snout to 
tbe tail be is all of a size, and tbe bead is one tbird of tbe 
total length, the long and thin body being placed on no- 
ticeably long and thin legs. And bow he can run, or root ! 
Tbe tourist always enjoys a hearty laugh when told " Those 
are hogs," and innumerable are the puns and jokes at their 
expense. Tbe well-to-do Northern or Western farmer visit- 
ing here is very sure to view them with downright con- 
tempt, and to form a very decided opinion about the fitness, 
or unfitness — mostly the latter — of Florida as a stock State. 

But such a hastily formed conclusion would be a great 
mistake. Florida is a first-class State for live-stock, and 
no one should feel any confidence in an opinion based on tbe 
specimens of wild, uncared-for stock found roaming about 
the woods. 

It should be said, moreover, that tbe Florida bog, in 
spite of his looks, has many good points which deserve 
recognition. In tbe first place, bis meat is always tender 
and good ; and bis lean bams are delicious, either dried, 



LIVE-STOCK. 279 

smoked, or salted. And it must be considered that tlie 
native hogs are descended from a common, Spanish scrub- 
breed brought here centuries ago among the droves landed 
here for the use of the soldiers of De Soto ; that they 
are never penned, carefully attended to, or well fed. In 
fact, no care whatever is taken of them by their owners, 
but they roam about, feeding themselves, which makes them 
wild and lean. An owner having, probably, as many as 
two hundred hogs, rarely sees them, but hunts them up from 
time to time, and shoots one for table-food. If he wishes 
to sell a number for market, he hunts them uj), drives them 
into a pen, and so disposes of them " in a lump." 

Hogs thrive excellently in all parts of the State, espe- 
cially in the northern tier of counties ; indeed, better hogs 
can not be found in the United States than those raised in 
N^orthern Florida. I have seen as fine, large, fat hogs there 
as ever were raised out West, especially among the farmers 
in Leon, Gadsden, Madison, and Jefferson Counties. But all 
counties are equally good. And those farmers — they are 
few, however, as yet — who have imported fine-blooded, im- 
proved stock can always show as creditable porkers as can 
be raised anywhere. It is said, too, that no disease has 
ever appeared among swine in Florida. They are, in all 
respects, a very profitable property, involving little care or 
expense, and always sure of finding a good market. There 
is probably no portion of the United States in which the 
food that hogs require can be obtained with less expense, 
or raised with less labor, than in Florida. 

In regard to sheep, some of the largest and best flocks 
in the country are found on the farms in the hilly, well- 
watered, and grassy sections of ISTorthern Florida. They do 
best in that part of the State, it being too warm in the 
southern counties to make it desirable or humane to try to 
raise them there. Jackson County is j)reeminent for sheep- 
raising, but, in any of the twenty-three fine, healthy coun- 



280 



FLORIDA. 




LIVE-STOCK, 281 

ties that compose Northern Florida, they do splendidly. 
Everything is in their favor — climate, food, water, soil, and 
markets. The northern part of Florida, it should be borne 
in mind, is not a tropical fruit region, but for stock-raising 
of the easiest, most profitable kind, it can not be excelled 
by any section of the United States. 

Cattle-raising has long been one of the principal and 
most profitable of all the many resources of Florida, and 
strange as it may appear, it is most extensively carried, on 
in the extreme southern portion of the State. There is no 
doubt that E^orthern Florida is unexcelled for cattle-raising, 
although at present, and for many years past, it has been 
most extensive in the southern part, on the Gulf. Punta 
Rassa, at the extreme southern end of Charlotte Harbor, is 
the third port in the United States for cattle-shipments ; 
and the vast savannas, or prairies, in that region, are grazed 
by thousands of heads. Cattle -herding is about the easiest 
occupation in the State, but it takes capital to start in it, 
and it requires time to develop it. As to the grade of cat- 
tle, it is the same as with the hogs — the native breeds are 
small and extremely unpromising in appearance ; but, as 
in the case of hogs, this is all for lack of care and breeding, 
and where high-grade, blooded cattle are introduced, and 
are attended to with anything like the attention given by 
Northern stockmen, they do just as well as anywhere, and 
involve far less expense and labor. 

It is often remarked as strange by the visitor to Florida, 
and is undoubtedly true, that in a State where cattle abound 
and may be kept almost for nothing, such a thing as fresh 
milk is almost unprocurable. In the remotest districts, 
canned milk brought from the North is constantly used ; 
and in a herd of cattle numbering hundreds there is not a 
single milch-cow. This, however, is due to the "custom 
of the country," and not to any difficulty that is encoun- 
tered in keeping good milch-cows in Florida. There as else- 



282 FLORIDA. 

where, of course, they require attention, and can not be left 
to gather all their food in the woods and swamps, as is done 
with ordinary stock-cattle ; but it has been proved* in in- 
numerable instances that cows properly fed and properly 
looked after will give milk as good in quality and as abun- 
dant in quantity as similar cows will give anywhere. This, 
however, is true only of cows that have become acclimated, 
and those of the choicer Northern and foreign breeds are 
not easily acclimated. The best and surest milch-cow is 
what is known as the Georgia cow — one brought from 
the neighboring State of Georgia ; and next to these are 
the native cows that have been separated from the ordi- 
nary cattle while heifers, and treated as animals from 
whom milk is desired should be treated everywhere. I 
am inclined to think that there is nothing to which Flor- 
ida farmers could more profitably give their attention than 
to the j)roduction of a good breed of milk-giving cows 
adapted to the peculiar local conditions. 

Horses, when kept properly stabled out of the sun and 
dews, and fed and groomed as any good horse should be, 
thrive as well in Florida as in any other portion of the 
South. The principal drawback in keeping a horse in 
good condition, especially in the towns and cities of Mid- 
dle and South Florida, is the sandy roads. Out in the 
little-traveled country and in the woods, the roads are well 
enough, and a horse can trot along as well as anywhere ; 
but in the towns, where the roads are deeply cut up, it is 
very hard upon all draught-animals, and great care should 
be taken not to overload or overwork them. In particular, 
a good horse should not be intrusted to the care of a col- 
ored hostler or driver, if you care much for the horse. A 
mule is best adapted to a negro teamster ; it being among 
the predestinate things of nature that negroes and mules 
should come together. 

Sandy roads are the worst feature of life in Florida, 



LIVE-STOCK. 283 

and will be for many years, for tliere is no method of 
effectually im]3roving them except at great expense. The 
roads in Northern Florida are free of sand, except in a very 
few localities, and are as good as any country roads in the 
whole country, and in some localities in the southern coun- 
ties there are also good stretches of roads ; but in the lat- 
ter section generally they are sandy to a degree that it is 
more easy to resent than to describe. This prevents much 
carriage-riding or walking on the roads, and is the princi- 
pal cause of the very little visiting among neighbors in the 
scattered settlements, where it is quite noticeable that the 
women seldom exchange visits, or indulge in " calls," as is 
the very popular custom among their Northern sisters. 

But in those counties where the roads are sandiest are 
found the most numerous lakes ; indeed, the whole region is 
a network of lakes, and the settlers' homes are generally 
bordering on or adjacent to a lake. These lake-side dwell- 
ers are sure to have a row-boat, and in such cases visits are 
more frequently interchanged among the accessible neigh- 
bors. Saddles, row boats, steamers, and railroads will al- 
ways be the principal methods of travel and intercom- 
munication. Carriages for pleasure, or wagons for labor, 
will never be so common, or so necessary, as elsewhere. 

In the case of horses, as in that of cows, the Northern- 
raised animals, especially the fancy breeds, do not do well 
in Florida, particularly if any work is required of them. 
The Western horses would probably be found better adapt- 
ed to the climate and other conditions, but they have not 
yet been introduced in any considerable numbers. The 
native horse is a small, bony, pot-bellied animal, very 
shabby-looking and destitute of "style," but capable of 
more work on a scantier supply of provender than any 
other creature with which I am acquainted, except a mule. 
The demand for horses in Florida at present much exceeds 
the supply, and the prices are consequently disproportion- 



284 FLORIDA. 

ately higli, and this is another department of stock-raising 
to which farmers should give more attention. Specimens 
that I have seen show that under proper care and treatment 
the native variety is capable of being made a very present- 
able as well as serviceable animal. 

Barn-yard fowls of every description do remarkably well 
in all sections of the State. Eggs and chickens are a cer- 
tainty at all seasons of the year, and the only thing from 
which they need protection is the pilfering fingers of the 
negroes. As a flock of fowls is very useful in keeping the 
insects out of an orange-grove, they may be allowed con- 
siderable space for roaming, and under these conditions 
would require but very little additional feeding. More- 
over, it pays to raise them, as the demand in the vicinity 
of towns or settlements nearly always exceeds the supply, 
and the prices asked and obtained for them are surprisingly 
high. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

rUE, FllSr, AISTD FEATHEE. 

Oppoetuxities for the sportsman are wonderfully abun- 
dant in all sections of Floi'ida — the variety of game and 
fish being undoubtedly greater than in any other region of 
equal size in the world. 

In all parts of the State are large clear- water springs, 
ponds, lakes, bayous, and rivers. These fresh-water bodies 
are literally alive with fish, principally black bass, pike, 
grunts, sheep's-head, all varieties of perch, bream, etc. 
Along the entire salt - water coast, with all the harbors, 
bays, sounds, and inlets, the fishing is simply superb, in- 
cluding mackerel, mullet, salt-water trout, sea-bass, whiting, 
red snapper, pompano, cavalli — in fact, the variety is innu- 
merable. Wherever you find water in all Florida, fresh or 
salt, you will find inexhaustible opportunity for the exer- 
cise of the angler's art. 

All along the coasts, too, especially the lower Atlantic 
and Gulf coasts, green turtles are very plentiful. Some of 
them are monsters in size, and turtle-hunting (also hunting 
for their eggs) is very attractive sport. Often one hun- 
dred and fifty to three hundred eggs are found in a nest ; 
they are delicious eating, like the turtle itself, which is so 
greatly relished by the epicure everywhere. Oysters in 
countless millions line the shores, and are everywhere 
cheap and excellent. . 

They speak of trout-fishing here, but it is a mistake. 
The trout, the dainty, golden, speckled trout of [N'orthern 



286 FLORIDA. 

waters, does not exist in Florida. What is here called the 
trout is in reality the Oswego black bass, which, as is well 
known, is a nice, gamy, delicious fish, but not the dainty 
aristocrat of Northern streams. 

Everybody fishes, or at least can fish, in Florida, and I 
have enjoyed many pleasant trips with jolly fishing-j^arties 
in various parts of the State. At Cedar Keys I once saw 
three housewives grouped on the long railroad-pier there, 
each ensconced under an umbrella, and all comfortably fish- 
ing in the most neighborly, sociable, matter-of-fact manner. 
It was a very common event with them ; they were merely 
out marketing for their dinner — a large, free market, very 
convenient indeed. One of them showed me two fine, 
plump, six or seven pounders, her catch in about fifteen min- 
utes. 

Fishing is always made additionally interesting in Flor- 
ida by the great variety of strange and curious creatures 
that are constantly being captured, and are rarely seen else- 
where. 

Of feathered game the variety and quantity are almost 
as great as of the fish. It is practically unlimited every- 
where in the State. At the place where I resided in the 
summer of 1880 — and there were ten men there in the party 
— I have seen several coveys of quail all at one time feed- 
ing about in the yard, or among the orange-trees, often ap- 
proaching within ten feet of the veranda where we were 
seated, and glancing up at us without a shade of fear or 
timidity. Everywhere they feed about in the barn-yards 
among the common fowls (except, of course, right in the 
towns and villages) ; and in a ride of a mile I have fre- 
quently seen a dozen coveys scudding across the roadway 
but a few steps distant. 

No other bird is quite so abundant, perhaps, as the quail ; 
but, according to Hallock's " Camp-Life in Florida," the 
game-birds include the wild-turkey, the Canada goose, the 



FUE, FIN, AND :B FATHER. 287 

mallard, the canvas-back, tlie teal, the black duck, the scaup- 
duck, the red-head duck, the wood-duck, the ruddy duck, 
the raft-duck, the green wingtail, the blue wingtail, snipe, 
golden plover, piping plover, black-billed plover, woodcock, 
3^ellow-legs, woodpeckers, godwits, curlew, black-necked 
stilt, larks, rails, herons, cranes, kingfishers, and ibis. There 
are also eagles, vultures, hawks of several varieties, crows, 
owls, coots, loons, pelicans, and paroquets. There is hardly 
a section of the State in which some of these species are 
not abundant, and there is no season of the year when the 
sportsman need seek far for his prey. 

Of furred game many kinds are found. Among the larger 
game there are the bear, the panther, the lynx, the gray 
wolf, the gray fox, and the wild-cat. Deer (of a very small 
size) are found nearly every where, but are most abundant 
in the southern and western countie3, and especially in the 
larger islands. Hunting them is probably the best sport 
that Florida aifords. 

Early one morning in Brooksville, while I was in one of 
the little groceries there, an old "cracker," one of the 
genuine native sort, came riding up. He was an interest- 
ing specimen ; his appearance, costume, and language were 
all "cracker," and his horse, equipments, and gun were 
curiosities. He dryly remarked, and his language was 
plain, that he "were gwine arter a de-eer fur dinner, fur 
the old 'ooman say her war outer meat." About two hours 
later I was interested to see him again ride up with a fine, 
fat, two-year-old buck thrown across his nag. He had 
" found his meat," and the body was yet warm. Evidently 
deer are plentiful thereabout, and he knew where to find 
them. 

Bears and panthers are somewhat scarce. Their haunts 

are mostly on the islands and in the southern counties ; but 

they are " scared up " in all parts of the State, usually right 

where and when least expected, of course. As game they 

13 



288 



FLORIDA. 




FUR, FIN, AND FEATHER. 289 

are rather difficult to find, except for a party specially hunt- 
ing them, and prepared to go to the remoter sections of the 
State, where settlers are few. 

Alligator-shooting is too easy to be mentioned among 
the resources of the genuine sj)ortsman. It may be enjoyed 
anywhere, especially on the upper St. John's and in the 
swamps ; but, like buffalo-shooting out West, it is so tame, 
after the first excitement of seeing this peculiar game, that 
it becomes rather tiresome. The killing of them has now 
become a regular occupation, the skins being an article of 
commerce and exported in large quantities. The smaller 
game is extremely plentiful everywhere, and includes rac- 
coons, opossums, squirrels (the Southern fox-squirrel and 
the gray squirrel), and rabbits. 

Of Florida, much more accurately than of most other 
places to which the term is apj^lied, it may be said that it 
is "a paradise for sportsmen." "In the immediate vicinity 
even of such centers of population as Jacksonville, St. Au- 
gustine, and Tallahassee," says a trustworthy writer, " there 
is excellent sport for either the angler or the huntsman, and 
it is only necessary to penetrate a short distance into the 
country in any direction in order to find game incredible in 
quantity and variety. One great advantage which Florida 
offers to sportsmen is that, owing to the extreme mildness 
of its climate, what is called ' roughing it ' is a much less 
trying process than perhaps anywhere else in America. By 
taking only the most obvious precautions as to clothing, 
etc., even invalids may camp out for weeks with substan- 
tially no risk ; and, so much of the locomotion being by 
water, there is comparatively little likelihood of exhausting 
fatigue. Some of the most ardent of every season's sports- 
men belong to the class of 'consumptives' who, before 
reaching Florida, were afraid to venture out of the house 
after sunset." 



CHAPTER XX. 

INSECTS AND EEPTILES. 

Because Florida is a semi-tropical region, it is quite 
generally the opinion of people in other regions that it is 
the natural home of all kinds and varieties of hideous, poi- 
sonous, troublesome reptiles, insects, and " bugs," that creep, 
crawl, or fly. Such pests are always supposed to dwell in 
warm climes, and the name of India, Mexico, or any tropi- 
cal region, at once suggests tarantulas, boa-constrictors, 
vampires, and fleas ; and doubtless the great majority of 
people entertain a very similar opinion of Florida, and per- 
haps firmly believe that on this account human life in mid- 
summer is all but intolerable there. Such an opinion is 
another of the many erroneous ones about Florida that are 
current among those who have not seen for themselves. It 
is a wrong belief, and will require but a short chapter to 
refute it. 

Alligators exist in all portions of the State where there 
are any marshy, wet, swampy jungles or lakes ; but they 
are not a pest, they are quite cowardly, and the largest of 
them will run from a child of six years, unless actually cor- 
nered, or cut off from their retreat in the nearest water. 
The exception, of an alligator attacking any one, is as rare 
as the runaways of an old family horse. It may happen, 
but as a matter of fact very rarely does happen. Instead 
of a danger, they are merely an object of curiosity to all 
residents and visitors. 

These great reptiles propagate their species from eggs, 



INSECTS AND REPTILES. 291 

which the female deposits in large numbers in the muddy 
recesses of the shores of their haunts. She digs out a spa- 
cious hole, and depositing the eggs — several hundreds in 
number — at one time, proceeds to cover them, and when 
she has erected a stout earthwork over them her maternal 
duties are entirely finished with that brood. After a 
lengthy period (the precise time is variously given by dif- 
ferent authorities) the little 'gators come forth, and, with 
unerring instinct, make a direct line, over all obstacles, to 
the water ; while, with equally unerring but cannibalistic 
instinct, the big alligators that may happen to be in the 
vicinity at once proceed to devour the little ones. 

Of snakes there are but ten or eleven species in Florida, 
and only five of these are poisonous : the rattlesnake, the 
cotton-mouthed moccasin, the water-moccasin, and two 
kinds of adders. The king-snake, the bull or gopher snake, 
the black snake, the coach-whip, and the common ground- 
snake, are the harmless species. Of these last mentioned, 
two kinds — the black and the king snakes — are the friends 
of humankind, for they wage relentless and usually vic- 
torious warfare upon all others of their loathsome species. 

But, after all, there are very few snakes in Florida, and 
they are rarely found save in dense undergrowth or in sel- 
dom-visited regions. I have traveled over many portions 
of the State, and been much in the woods and underbrush 
in South Florida, and I never saw a deadly snake ; in fact. 
I saw but one coach-whip and five or six black snakes, 
N'or have I met anybody that has seen more than a very 
few deadly snakes. To see two or three in a residence of 
half a dozen years seems to be about the average. Their 
scarcity is principally due to the numerous hogs, deer, owls, 
hawks, coons, and skunks, all of which are deadly enemies 
to them, and to the extensive fires that annually burn over 
the underbrush of large tracts of land. 

There is also a species of centiped that is poisonous, its 



292 FLORIDA. 

sting being about as virulent as that of a mad liornet ; but 
these pests are scarce, and are not considered a danger. 
The same is the case with a small species of scorpion, and 
a similar species known as a grampus. 

Flies are very few, noticeably so in the case of the com- 
mon house-fly ; there are several varieties of horse-flies 
that are not especially troublesome to the horses, but are 
remarkable for their great size — often an inch and three 
eighths long. There is also a fly of about the same large 
size, mostly found around horses, and commonly known as 
the "horse-guard," for it never lights on horses, buzzes in 
their faces, or worries them in the least, but gobbles in any 
and all flies that light on the horse, devouring the little 
flies, but only eating the heads off of the larger ones. 

Mosquitoes are as elsewhere a great nuisance, where 
they exist. Their season is in the months of April, May, 
June, and July ; and they are very few in other months. 
In many localities none are to be found at any season ; and 
in the greater j)ortions of those localities where they exist, 
they do not come in "clouds" or "swarms." It is only in 
some peculiarly low and swampy location that they annoy 
one as they do in New Jersey and Michigan. 

The little black gnat and the tiny sand-fly are the 
most villainous torments. These, indeed, are perfect pests, 
but they are only in " full bloom " from August to early 
ISTovember. A thin veil worn like a cap over the head en- 
tirely protects you from all annoyance from them, for they 
do not bite or sting, but are simply possessed with a raven- 
ous desire to explore one's eyes and ears. They are not 
general to the State, but are found in a few sections only, 
and are not at all poisonous. 

If you walk through the woods, especially among old 
pine -logs, there is a red-bug, a minute insect, which fre- 
quently attacks your ankles and bites, but you are only 
made aware of it by the pimple or scar ; it does not poison 



INSECTS AND REPTILES, 293 

tlie flesh. You can escape their bother by each morning 
or evening bathing the ankles with ammonia or camphor, 
or by rubbing them with vaseline — that is, if you must be 
out in the woods. Also, in the autumn, if you are out in 
the swamps, there is a wood-tick that assaults you, very 
much like the red-bug, but its effect and the remedy are 
precisely the same as with the red-bug. 

Fleas are undoubtedly a great pest, but as their cause is 
well understood it is not impossible to keep reasonably free 
of them. They are due to the innumerable dogs, hogs, 
and other live-stock that are allowed free range every- 
where ; and if these are kept at a respectful distance and 
rigidly excluded from the house, fleas also will be apt to be 
conspicuous by their absence. 

Around dwellings there is a species of cockroach, of 
mammoth size, which sometimes causes a good deal of an- 
noyance. They are not very numerous, however, are very 
shy and clumsy, and may easily be got rid of by the means 
that are found efiicient elsewhere. 

The foregoing list includes, I believe, all the insect pests 
and annoyances that are liable to trouble one in Florida. 
Of these, very few invade the house ; that is, if it is a 
house as understood in the Northern States — a neat, clean, 
wholesome abode ; but if you can be brought to inhabit a 
flimsily constructed, dirty " cracker " cabin, open for every- 
thing to enter, they will very probably visit you, and may 
even be induced to take up a permanent residence. 

As a final word I would say that if one lives civilized, 
keeps clean as to house and person, and uses mosquito-bars 
and nettings for the beds and screens for windows and 
doors, just as is done at the North, the insects are no more 
troublesome here than there. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

OPPOETUNITIES FOR LABOR AND CAPITAL. 

The first and greatest need of Florida is population. It 
is beyond all other regions of America the most favored 
for poor people with little capital but of industrious disposi- 
tion, able and willing to work. Capital and wealth are al- 
ways w^elcome everywhere, but it is an established fact that, 
wherever labor leads, capital always quickly follows. Look 
at the history of all our Western States. It was always 
the case that the poor pioneer emigrant with a rifle, and an 
axe or spade, hewed the first pathway. It was the " wheel- 
barrow " emigrant that opened up the great mining regions 
of the Rocky Mountains ; then came the small storekeepers, 
then the wholesale dealers, then the bankers — the real capi- 
talists — railroads, and telegraphs : and thus w^ere States 
founded and solid prosperity established. 

By all means let the poor people come to Florida, for 
nowhere can they live so cheaply, and so quickly " earn a 
living " ; while, if they are at all industrious and possessed 
of common good judgment, they can soon accumulate a 
competency. If they can bring a little money, sufficient to 
obtain a few acres of land at cheapest rates or to take up a 
homestead on the public lands, to build a cheap cottage, 
and to subsist for six months, so much the better ; they are 
then sure to succeed and gradually better their condition. 
But even if empty-handed, let them come, for employment 
can surely be found to preserve life and give the new- 
comer time to look about for a better chance. 



OPPORTUNITIES FOR LABOR AND CAPITAL. 295 

Study tlie advantages of Florida, with its many and 
rapidly increasing lines of water and rail communications 
to all parts of the country, cheap rates, and rapid transit ; 
then turn to those offered to the poor man in the far-off, 
bleak, inhospitable West — of vast, treeless, waterless, fruit- 
less plains, or comfortless mountains ; where railroads are 
the only means of transit, and they are in nearly all cases 
without competition, have high rates, and, being generally 
monopolists of the soil of their section, hold the settler in 
an iron grasp ; where ISTature offers nothing but a place to 
breathe in, and only by hardest labor and through constant 
struggle can life be sustained. 

An important consideration for the settler is that Flor- 
ida is emphatically a region of health, and of the activities 
which come from health. There is no such thing as " ener- 
vating effects," etc., on the settler in this region. It is not 
far enough south. I find everywhere, among the people 
here from colder climes, the same activity of brain and 
body, the same effort to improve, as among the people of 
any other locality. 

Look about Florida — see the new towns springing up 
everywhere ; the railroads, steamboat lines, mills, factories, 
stores, new residences, new apf)liances for cultivation of the 
soil, machinery, implements, new schemes for raising, in- 
creasing, marketing, shipping, and obtaining profits from 
all soil products : are not these conclusive evidences of the 
vigor and activity of the new-comers ? 

For, with very few exceptions, it is the Northern people, 
so rapidly moving in here, that are developing the true re- 
sources and capabilities of the State, and who are engaged in 
all the enterprises of private or public benefit. Everywhere 
they are planning new improvements, draining swamps, 
" locating " town-sites, laying out streets and lots, clearing 
large tracts of fertile soil, setting out orange-groves, experi- 
menting with new crops, opening stores, founding churches 



296 FLORIDA. 

and scliools, erecting saw-mills, cassava-mills, and fruit-pre- 
serving establishments, building new railroads, putting new 
steamboats on all these waters, hunting out new " springs," 
building new hotels — in fact, civilizing this entire region. 
Everywhere the labor, the enterprise, and the money of the 
ISTorthern-born settler are apparent. 

The old slaveholding element, with its aristocratic and 
exclusive ideas, is very small in Florida, and that small 
number is only found in a few places in the northern coun- 
ties. Moreover, the visitor or settler will find these people 
(I mean the better class of the old-time slaveholding plant- 
ers) at heart very good, hospitable, and kindly-disposed 
people. Such has always been my experience, and I have 
met many of them. 

I believe none of these people desire a return to slavery 
times and customs ; and, leaving out the bitterness natural 
to humankind when defeated, I believe they honestly wish 
to see Northern people settle here. 

The " cracker " element, the " poor white trash," are too 
few in number and too insignificant in influence for special 
attention. They are, as a class, merely white barbarians, 
rapidly dwindling away ; and, as new settlers move in, the 
" cracker " moves off. 

Capitalists can also find in Florida a broad field for the 
investment of money. Banks are greatly needed in sev- 
eral of the new towns. The exchange on the sales of the 
great crops and the vast amount of goods being brought 
in every week, not by seasons but continuously, and all 
such commercial transactions, make the need of banking- 
houses very great. The arrivals of steamers at Sanford 
and such principal points on the St. John's average about 
thirty each week, and their cargoes each way, and passen- 
ger-lists, are indubitable evidence of healthy commerce 
and increasing prosperity, where money is plentiful and 
well employed. The State laws regarding security for cash 



OPPORTUNITIES FOR LABOR AND CAPITAL. 297 

advanced are of the most favorable kind, giving the money- 
lender safe and certain aid without entangling delays. No 
State has more favorable laws. 

Another great need is railroads in all parts of the State. 
If well located, they would pay handsome returns upon 
their cost. Railroads can be built here with much less ex- 
pense than anywhere else in the United States ; there being 
fewer " cuts and fills," the soil being easier to work, right 
■ of way freely obtained, and the ties very cheap. The stump- 
age of the best varieties of timber on the lands that the 
State so liberally gives would, if judiciously utilized, pay 
very handsomely. 

Paper-mills, to use up the vast quantities of scrub pal- 
metto-to23S, cassava-mills, sugar-mills, canning establish- 
ments for vegetables, oysters, turtles, etc., preserving-fac- 
tories for fruits, orange-wine vaults, mattress-factories to 
use up the abundant Spanish mosses (a splendid article for 
mattresses), tanneries for the immense number of hides 
produced in the whole State, turpentine and tar stills, ma- 
chine-shops for manufacturing furniture, etc., of the pal- 
metto, cedar, cypress, and hard woods of this region — these 
are but a few of the needs of Florida, and of the opportuni- 
ties afforded to capitalists. Orange-culture is in a peculiar 
sense an occupation for men with capital at command ; and 
few things would pay better than to bring a number of 
choicely situated orange-groves to the bearing period, and 
then sell them at the prices which such groves readily 
bring. 

Even if one does not care to risk money in the ordinary 
business enterprises, there are ways of making it very pro- 
ductive. It can be loaned on perfectly good security at 
from ten to eighteen per cent, per annum. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

A WORD OF FEIENDLY ADYICE TO Is^EW-COMERS. 

One of the greatest sources of perplexity to the new- 
comer is the vast amount of contradictory advice sure to be 
tendered him. If he asks a settler for an opinion about a 
certain piece of land, or how to select orange-trees, or when 
to plant or how to plant, or about vegetables, or about 
transportation, he is certain to receive a lengthy argument 
completely exhaustive of the subject in question, and every 
detail proved by the settler from his personal ex23erience 
and observation. This, of course, is encouraging, and the 
new-comer goes on his way, rejoicing that he now knows 
all about the matter, and prepared to follow the instructions 
as given. Unfortunately, he happens to mention the sub- 
ject to another settler, a discussion ensues, and to the new- 
comer's profound astonishment he hears all the statements 
made by his previous informant combated, overthrown, 
demolished, and their absurdity demonstrated. Congratu- 
lating himself upon his lucky escape from the bad venture 
he was about to make, he proceeds to follow the advice of 
his last authority, when he meets a third, and the same re- 
sult ensues. The advice of the second informant is proved 
all wrong, and an entirely new theory is positively asserted 
to be the right and only true one. 

So it goes : and, if the new-comer should consult a dozen 
different people, he would probably receive from each an 
explanation totally different and distinct, and each declared 
by the relator to be the result of personal experience. It 



A WORD OF FRIENDLY ADVICE. 299 

is wonderful, it is utterly confusing ; and it very frequently 
results in causing the new-comer to enter into a bad bar- 
gain, to waste much money and labor, and ultimately to 
give up in disgust, sacrificing his property for a song, and 
going away, bitter against Florida. 

But the truth is, the fault was largely with himself. He 
should not depend solely upon advice, but should use his 
own judgment ; and to form a sound judgment he should 
spend a small amount of extra money, and travel about to 
different localities, carefully observing and studying for 
himself. Hasty purchases are very apt to be regretted 
in Florida as well as elsewhere ; and it is always money 
well spent that is spent in looking about for the right 
locality, the right soil, the right class of products, the 
right opportunity for transportation, and the requisite 
advantages as to health, markets, neighbors, schools, and 
the like. 

The experiment of a man, especially with a family, 
transferring all his interests and hopes from a temperate to 
a semi-tropical region, is necessarily a trying one. The cli- 
mate, soils, products, seasons of labor and rest, of planting 
and harvests, are totally different. Indeed, nothing is the 
same ; even the new-comer and his family change in diet, 
hours of rest and labor, even in the constituents of their 
blood. Yet the change is one that involves no insuperable 
difficulties, provided due care be exercised in the matter of 
diet, exercise, labor, and habits of life. The abundance of 
certain fruits that are regarded as luxuries elsewhere is 
very apt to betray new-comers into over-indulgence in the 
matter of food, and this, of course, should be guarded 
against. The water-supply, too, should be carefully scruti- 
nized, and any indications of impurity should cause its use 
to be discontinued. Moreover, until he becomes thoroughly 
acclimated, the new-comer should avoid as much as possible 
long-continued exposure to the summer sun, or to the air of 



300 FLORIDA. 

damp localities. In all these respects lie would do well to 
observe and follow the customs of the more intelligent 
" natives." 

A fruitful cause of failure among new-comers to Florida 
is their greed for vast possessions ; they want a hundred- 
acre grove at an outlay not sufficient for ten acres. Re- 
member, it costs money, labor, and tedious time to produce 
an orange-grove ; and a snug, well-cared-f or, thrifty grove of 
five acres, with say three hundred trees, all brought to quick 
and prolific bearing, is a far surer and more desirable in- 
vestment than one three or four times as large which can 
not be kej^t in an equally high state of cultivation. Ob- 
servation has shown that a small grove can be brought to 
bearing from tAvo to three years sooner, and at much less 
proportionate expense of money and labor, than a very 
large one. One reason of this is, that in a large grove the 
work must all be performed by hired laborers, while in a 
small one the owner is quite likely to do much of it himself. 
The fertilizing, too, for a large grove must all be purchased, 
while on the small grove the barn-yard and stables, the 
poultry, the dwelling, all contribute — until the amount to 
be purchased is very small. 

If you desire to engage in vegetable-gardening (a very 
profitable enterprise, if rightly conducted), you must use 
good judgment : select good black or dark-brown ham- 
mock soil, not too wet ; shelter it from the east wind, if on 
the Atlantic coast ; and locate close to some established line 
of transportation. It will be much the wisest policy to pay 
a high price for five or ten acres located convenient to ship- 
ping facilities, than a low price for larger acreage too far 
from market. 

If you desire to engage in the culture of purely tropical 
fruits, such as bananas, pineapples, etc., there is but one es- 
sential direction to be observed — it is to go south, beyond 
the region of frost-visits, select any cultivated soil, jDine or 



A WORD OF FRIENDLY ADVICE. 301 

hammock, and locate near some convenient and established 
line of transportation. 

One class of persons against whom the new-comer must 
be on his guard is the "land-shark." There are land agents 
in Florida who are as trustworthy as the same class any- 
where, and whose advice and assistance may be of great ser- 
vice to the settler ; but, on the other hand, almost every lo- 
cality is infested by one or more "sharks," who prey upon 
new-comers by offering them " the greatest bargain to be 
had in the State," the prices asked being usually about twice 
as much as the property could actually be bought for. Usu- 
ally very plausible in manners and talk, these men are Avell 
calculated to impose upon the inexperienced, but a little 
inquiry among other parties will usually suffice to ex23ose 
their true character. One rule should be inflexibly adhered 
to by the settler, and that is, never to be persuaded into 
" closing " hastily with a " bargain," and never to buy a 
piece of land until he has consulted two or three different 
parties as to its quality and price. 

As a general thing, if he has exercised due care in the 
selection of his land, the settler need have no fear of malaria 
or " fevers." He will naturally be discouraged by the sal- 
low, tallowy look and listless manner of many of the " na- 
tives " ; but whoever, in any place, should live as they live, 
eating such wretched food, neglecting body and mind, 
would at the end of a few years find himself in the same 
condition, which is due not to the locality but to the mode 
of life. With the right sort of a house, food of good vari- 
ety and quality and properly prepared, cleanly habits, and 
healthful exercise for the mind as well as the body, people 
may enjoy as much vigor and activity in Florida as any- 
where in the United States. 

I have observed in all parts of the State that the women 
express less liking for Florida than do the men ; in fact, in 
reply to the question invariably asked of all, " How do you 



302 FLORIDA. 

like the State ? " of all the ISTorthern-born women I have 
met, but three or four replied in a hearty, convincing man- 
ner that they really liked it. This appears somewhat 
strange, when we consider the fact that the climate, fruits, 
flowers, garden dainties, and the like, such as women usu- 
ally are fond of and delight in, are so abundant in Florida. 
The principal source of their objections is the same as in 
all new countries : women seldom enjoy pioneer life, but 
prefer old, settled communities, churches, schools, finished 
dwellings, society, sidewalks, and intimate social intercourse. 
The sandy soil, heavy roads, and absence of sidewalks, espe- 
cially in South Florida regions, are the real cause of the 
prevalent discontent of the women. Added to this is the 
general neglect of new settlers to provide lawns, grass-plots, 
flower-gardens, poultry-yards, etc., to attract and divert the 
attention of their female companions. In the towns through- 
out Northern Florida, where the improvements are more 
general, there is most content among the women ; and in 
the few homes in Southern Florida where the house is neat- 
ly constructed, with wide, cool piazzas, lawns, and flower- 
gardens, a poultry-yard well stocked, and a cow (thus pro- 
viding spring chickens, fresh eggs, fresh milk, and butter, 
things always so agreeable to the housewife) — in homes 
where these surroundings are found, is always found resig- 
nation if not contentment. 

Be cautious, look about you, use your own best judg- 
ment, avoid land-sharks, begin on a small scale at first, be 
scrupulously cleanly of person and house, provide good food 
and have it well prepared, and, though you are a "new- 
comer," you may enjoy life and prosper in Florida. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

ROUTES TO AND THEOUGH FLORIDA. 

Jacksonville is the grand objective point for all Florida visitors. 
It is the focus where all lines of travel from all parts of the North 
and West terminate, and where all the local lines of railroads and 
river-boats have their beginning or chief office ; where information 
concerning all portions of the State can be obtained, and all uncer- 
tain routes to interior points of interest decided upon. This su- 
premacy is shared in some slight degree by Pensacola, but this city 
is so far removed from the Florida sought by Northern tourists, and 
is so situated geographically, that it really represents another and 
distant region of entirely different attractions and interest. It is the 
chief Floridian city on the Gulf, and is best known to the people of 
the adjoining Gulf States. In fact, Pensacola belongs, by all natu- 
ral and geographical laws, to Alabama, and is far more accessible to 
the people of that and neighboring States than to those of Florida. 
This difficulty, however, will soon be remedied by the expected 
early completion of the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Eail- 
road, from its present terminus on the Chattahoochee to its natural 
and originally proposed terminus, Pensacola. 

To the tourist from New England and New York there are sev- 
eral routes open, all accommodating and desirable. 

TO FLOEIDA BT WATEE. 

(1.) One of the well-appointed steamers of the Mallory Steam- 
ship Line sails from Pier 20 East River at three o'clock p. m. each 
Friday, visiting Port Royal en route^ arriving at Fernandina on the 
morning of the following Tuesday, and connecting at the wharf 
there with the train to Jacksonville (only thirty-three miles, an 
hour's pleasant ride over the new railroad). For invalids and all 



304 FLORIDA. 

who enjoy the novelty of a short sea-voyage, this route offers su- 
perior attractions. Eeturning, a steamer leaves Jacksonville each 
Thursday. 

(2.) A steamer of the New York and Savannah Steamship Line 
sails tri-weekly at three o'clock p. m., from Pier 43 North Eiver, 
direct to Savannah, sixty hours' sea-trip, connecting there with 
their Florida steamers (small boats) to Fernandina and Jacksonville, 
sailing from Savannah daily at four o'clock p. m., following the chan- 
nel between the mainland and islands, popularly known as the " Sea 
Island Eoute," much like a beautiful tropical river-journey, arriving 
in Fernandina at nine o'clock a. m. next day. 

(3.) The New York and Charleston Steamship Line. One of 
the first-class steamers of this line sails semi- weekly from Pier 27 
North River for Charleston direct, connecting there with their ele- 
gant Florida line of " channel-route " steamers direct to Jackson- 
ville and Palatka. Excellent steamers and rapid passage. 

(4.) The Old Dominion Steamship Line. One of the large and 
fine steamers of this line sails tri-weekly from Pier 26 North Eiver 
for Portsmouth, Virginia, connecting there with the railways direct 
to Florida, ma the newly constructed Waycross Eailroad into Jack- 
sonville. This is the quickest of the water-routes to Florida from 
the Northeastern States ; but, of course, only about half the journey 
is performed by boat. 

EAILWA.T EOUTES FROM NEW TOEK AND THE NOETH. 

From New York and the numerous points throughout the East 
and North there are many routes over connecting hues converg- 
ing at Waycross, Georgia. Over all, the fares, time, and excellent 
accommodations of palace-cars, sleeping-cars, parlor-cars, dining- 
room cars, and quick connections, are very nearly the same. Each 
offers some special attraction — interesting old towns, historical 
localities, beautiful scenery — that must largely influence the tourist 
in determining a route. By the quickest all-rail route the time 
from New York to Jacksonville is about forty hours. Eailroad 
facilities and accommodations from Northern points to Florida 
have greatly changed within the past year, and the vexatious 
delays, uncertain connections, slow trains, inattention, and gen- 
eral discomfort experienced by the traveler during recent seasons 
are happily ended. Within a brief period there have been great 



ROUTES TO AND THROUGH FLORIDA. 305 

changes in the entire railway system of the Southeast. New and 
energetic men have entered the field, great amounts of capital have 
heen invested, all the old fogy boards of directors have been swept 
out of existence, new managers, superintendents, and executive 
officers have come to the front, all infusing a healthy and beneficial 
rivalry. New railroads have been everywhere projected and begun, 
and old unfinished roads have been completed ; numerous short cut- 
offs have been planned and rapidly completed, all greatly to the 
comfort and benefit of travelers and freight. Eailroad time-tables 
have been everywhere overhauled and remodeled, rates of speed 
increased, time of travel reduced, excellent low-priced eating-houses 
conveniently estabhshed, new and attentive employees engaged, 
until now, and in coming s3asons, railroad travel in the South is 
and will be comparable in comfort and convenience with the fa- 
mous system of the West. To Mr. Haynes and Mr. Cole, the widely 
known railway capitahsts and managers, is Florida largely indebted 
for these benefits. 

TO FLOEIDA FEOM THE ISTOETHWEST. 

To the tourist to Florida from the Northwest the famous new 
Cincinnati Southern road offers elegant and superior attractions, 
quick time, fine scenery, beautiful cars, and every detail of comfort 
and convenience that skilled management, liberal capital, and rivalry 
can devise. This, and the well-known old established Ei>fala line, 
together with the Danville route, offer superior facilities. All have 
palace-cars, with but two changes from Chicago to Jacksonville (a 
daytime change), and make the distance in sixty-five to sixty-eight 
hours. But these facts of the present will undoubtedly be mate- 
rially changed for the better in the coming season (1881-'82), as ar- 
rangements are now nearly perfected among the representatives of 
the various connecting roads of the rival routes, so that the passen- 
ger entering a palace-car in Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland, De- 
troit, St. Louis, Louisville, or Nashville, will arrive in Jacksonville 
in the same car; while the Chicago passenger will be but forty- 
two hours en route, instead of sixty-eight, as at present. 

I]Sr JACKSONVILLE. 

There are now four large hotels in Jacksonville, equal to any in 
the country for accommodations (rates four to five dollars per day) ; 



306 FLORIDA. 

also numerous smaller hotels and innumerable boarding-houses, 
where board may be had with fair accommodations for five to fifteen 
dollars per week. 

The tourist should first make a journey down to the mouth of 
the St. John's, on the regular daily steamer, leaving at about nine 
o'clock A. M., returning about six p. m. It is a delightful and inter- 
esting day- excursion. Fare, $1.00. 

TIP THE ST. John's. 
Daily boats, ma the De Bary Line ; or ma the Pioneer Line Mon- 
days and Thursdays ; or via the Independent Line Tuesdays and Fri- 
days. Each line steamers leave their wharf at half past one p. m., 
reaching Palatka early the same evening, and Enterprise and Sanford 
about noon next day, where excellent hotels are found. Eeturning, 
leave Sanford at nine o'clock each morning. Fare, $7.00 ; round trip, 
$10.00. 

THE FAE'UP ST, JOHN's AND INDIAN EIVEKS. 

There are several steamers that make the entire round trip from 
Jacksonville to the extreme upper waters of the St. John's. These 
are small, " crowded-up " sort of boats, but fairly comfortable with- 
al, and decidedly novel. They are very convenient to the tourist, 
especially hunters, and parties with ladies. Their dates are quite 
irregular, and must be learned in Jacksonville. The fare is about 
ten dollars, but special terms are easily made, according to numbers 
and circumstances. Another way is to go to Sanford, then take 
passage on the Pioneer Line boats that leave there tri-weekly. The 
time from Jacksonville to Titusville and Eock Ledge is about 
seventy-two hours, although this time will undoubtedly be reduced 
to about fifty hours, even forty, by the new arrangements now being 
perfected. Rock Ledge can be reached by leaving the St. John's 
boat at Salt Lake, thence to Titusville by mule-team (as heretofore 
described), then ma sail-boat ; or, continuing on the St. John's boat 
to Lake Winder, thence by mule- team eight miles over to the Indian 
River. Boats may be chartered at Titusville for a journey down 
the Indian River and on to Lake Worth and Key Biscayne Bay. 

TO CRESCENT LAKE. 

Take steamer at Palatka, that makes the round trip daily to 
Crescent Lake. A short, pleasant trip and low fare. 



ROUTES TO AND THROUGH FLORIDA. 307 

UP THE OCKLAWAHA. 

Steamers leave Jacksonville ti'i- weekly for the Ocklawaha at one 
o'clock p. M., from their pier in the rear of the post-office. These 
boats run to the extreme head-waters of that interesting stream, 
carrying freights and passengers for Leesburg, Lakes Harris, Eustis, 
Griffin, Dora, and surrounding regions. At Leesburg they connect 
with a handsome little steamer that makes the circuit of all these 
large lakes, stopping at Pendryville, Fort Mason, and Yalaha. 

Hart's line of steamers make semi-weekly trips from Palatka up 
the Ocklawaha to Silver Springs ; thence the passenger can be taken 
ma mule-teams to Ocala, or daily ma rail from Jacksonville and 
Waldo. Time, six hours. 

TO LAKES KISSIMMEE AND OKECHOBEE AND THE EYEEGLADE EEGION, 

Take the steamer to Sanford, thence ma the South Florida Rail- 
road to Lake To-ho-po-ka-la-ga, twenty-eight miles below Orlando 
(fifty miles from Sanford), where there is a new hotel owned by the 
railroad. From this point a rude little steamer makes a weekly 
round trip into the Everglade region, visiting all the settlements and 
accessible points of that far-off region. The sailing dates of the 
steamer are very uncertain, but about once a week. 

TO NEW SMYRNA AND DATTONA, AND THE HALIFAX EIVEE EEGION. 

Take steamer daily to De Land or Blue Springs Landings, on the 
St. John's, thence ma carriages across to the coast ; or go to St. 
Augustine and thence ma sail-boats down, a day's sail. 

TO ALTAMONTE AND APOPKA. 

Steamer to Sanford, thence via South Florida Railroad to Long- 
wood Station, thence ma mail-wagon to Altamonte, five miles' ride ; 
continue on the cars to Orlando, thence ma team to Apopka. 

TO PENDEYVILLE AND THE LAKE EUSTIS EEGION. 

Steamer up the St. John's to Astor, there take cars to Fort Ma- 
son, on Lake Eustis. Teams and sail-boats and lake-steamers to all 
adjacent points. 

SUMTEEVILLE, LAKE PAN-A-SOF-KEE,'' AND BEOOKSVILLE. 

Steamers ma Ocklawaha River to Leesburg, or steamers to Astor, 
cars to Fort Mason, and lake-steamer to Leesburg ; thence via mail- 



308 FLORIDA. 

team to Sumterville, six miles ; thence by mail-stage to Brooksville, 
twelve hom-s' ride from Smuterville, mostly through an uninhabited, 
rolling (in fact, hilly) pine-timbered region. 

Lake Pan-a-sof-kee is a beautiful large lake, surrounded by a 
vast hammock of remarkably fertile soil; it is six miles from Sum- 
terville, where teams can be hired for the trip to the lake. The 
Tropical Eailroad, now under construction from Ocaia, will reach 
this lake this season. 

GELANDO AND MAITLAIJO). 

Steamers daily to Sanford, thence ma South Florida Eailroad. 
Eailroad fare, 90 cents. 

LAKE HAENEY HAMMOCKS. 

Pioneer Line steamers from Jacksonville (as mentioned hereto- 
fore) to Tuskawilla Landing. 

TO ST. AUGUSTINE. 

Several steamers daily to Tocoi, on the St. John's (three hours' 
ride), then via railroad fourteen miles across to the ancient city. 
N. B. — A new railroad is now being constructed direct from Jack- 
sonville to St. Augustine ; distance, about thirty -five miles. 

TO OCALA AND SILVEE SPEINGS. 

By railroad to Waldo on the Transit road, thence to Ocala or 
Silver Springs, seven hours' ride. Or, by steamer to Palatka ; thence 
ma railroad to Jamestown, there changing cars to Ocala, ten hours' 
time. Or up the Ocklawaha, ma either line of steamers on that 
river, to Silver Springs ; thence by team over to Ocala. 

OEANGE LAKE. 

Proceed to Waldo via the Transit Eailroad ; thence by rail to the 
lake. The Peninsular Eailroad (from Waldo) passes near the shore 
of this famous lake. 

TO GAINESVILLE AND CEDAE KEYS. 

Two trains daily leave Fernandina for Gainesville, Waldo, and 
all points along the Transit Eailroad to Cedar Keys. 

Passenger train leaves Fernandina daily (except Sunday), at 
a quarter past nine o'clock a. m. Arrive at Baldwin at half past 



ROUTES TO AND THROUGH FLORIDA. 309 

twelve, noon, connecting there with train from and to Jackson- 
ville; arrive at Waldo at a quarter past two p. m, (connect with train 
to and from Ocala ; arrive at Orange Lake at four o'clock p. m. ; 
Ocala, at six o'clock p. m.). The Transit train on from Waldo 
arrives at Gainesville at half past three p. m., and at Cedar Keys at 
six o'clock p. M. Total time from Fernandina to Cedar Keys, eight 
and three quarters hours. From Fernandina to Ocala, eight and 
three quarters hours. From Jacksonville to Cedar Keys is about 
seven hours, ma Baldwin Junction. Keturn trains leave Cedar Keys 
daily, except Sunday, at half past six o'clock in the morning. 

The Tampa Steamship Line. For Manatee and Tampa. — Leave 
Cedar Keys, Monday and Thursday, at lialf past six p. m. ; arrive 
at Manatee, Tuesday and Friday, at nine a. m. ; arrive at Tampa, 
Tuesday and Friday, at two p. m. 

For Key West via Charlotte HarTyor. — Leave Cedar Keys, Mon- 
day and Friday, at half past six p. m. ; arrive at Key West, Wednes- 
day and Sunday, at nine a. m. Ljmding passengers at Punta Kassa, 
connecting with steamer for all landings in Charlotte Harbor. 

l!^. B. — There are other steamers in the winter season that ply 
between Cedar Keys, Key West, and the West Indies, notably the 
splendid steamer Admiral ; also steamers to Havana, Pensacola, and 
ISTew Orleans. Their time-table is regulated anew each season, and 
must be learned by the tourist of the general agent in Jacksonville. 
Key West is also reached by the Mallory Line and New York and 
ITew Orleans Line steamers weekly from New York ; also by the 
Baltimore, Havana and New Orleans steamers, sailing on the 1st 
and 15th of each month from Baltimore. 

ISrOETH FLOEIDA. 

Two trains leave Jacksonville daily over the Florida Central Eail- 
road — at 11.05 a. m. for Baldwin, connecting with Transit Eailroad 
trains for all points south, also 8.45 a. m. for Lake City and Live 
Oak, there connecting with the Atlantic and G-ulf Eailroad for all 
points north, south and west, also connecting there with the Jack- 
sonville, Pensacola and Mobile Eailroad for Ellaville, Madison, Mon- 
ticello (reached ma a short railroad three miles from the main 
road), and Tallahassee, Quincy, and Chattahoochee. It is ten hours' 
journey from Jacksonville to Tallahassee, all, after reaching Lake 
City, passing through a region of attractive scenery and rich soil. 



310 FLORIDA. 

Tourists should by all means visit this region, for Tallahassee and 
the surrounding country is, all in all, one of the most lovely por- 
tions of America. 

From Tallahassee a short railroad runs to St. Mark's, on the 
Gulf, there connecting with the steamer to Pensacola, New Orleans, 
and all Gulf ports. The dates of this train are very uncertain, as it 
only runs when it is announced that a steamer is in port, usually 
about once a week. 

THE FAE-WEST COUNTIES. 

The towns and settlements in the counties west of the Appa- 
lachicola River are only reached by United States mail or private 
stage routes. Rates are moderate. 



THE END, 




De Bary Merchants' Line 

STEAMEHS 

' FREDERICK DE BARY, ROSA, and 
ANITA, GEO. M. BIRD. 



CdBRYUVG the UJYITED STATES MAIL 



DAILY BOATS from JAmSONYILLE, PALATKA, 

And Intermediate Points on ST. JOHl!f'S KIVEE, 

TO ENTERPRISE AND RETURN, 

Connecting with ST. AUGUSTINE, GAINESVILLE, and Points on tlie FLOEIDA 
SOUTHEEN EAILEOAD. 

For information, apply at the Office of the 

DE BARY MERCHANTS' LINE, JACKSONVILLE. 

Appletons' Annual Cyclopsedia, 



AND 



REGISTER OF IMPORTAMT EVEHTS OF THE YEAR 1880. 

Embracing Political, Civil, Military, and Social Affairs ; Public Docu- 
ments, Biography, Statistics, Conwierce, Finance, Literature, 
Scicence, Agriculture, and Mechanical Industry. 



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investigator and every teacher who goes beyond the merest rudiments must needs 
equip himself. There Is certainly no book in English — we think there is none in any 
other language — which covers quite the same ground. It records the most recent ad- 
vances in the experimental treatment of electrical problems, it describes with minute 
carefulness the instruments and methods in use in physical laboratories, and is prodi- 
gal of beautifully executed diagrams and drawings made to scale." — London Times. 

D. APPLETON & CO., Publishers, 

1, 3, & 5 Bond Street, New York. 



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